My grandma — I call her Nanu in Bengali — is across the world right now in Bangladesh. I’m not sure when or if I’ll see her again. I asked her when I prepped my 2 minutes for this if she had ever voted.
She said only once in my life, my dear.
Once in her nearly 83 years, through the British leaving India after partition, through a bloody War of Independence from Pakistan exactly 50 years ago, through countless military coups — she’s cast her ballot one time. Intimidation and threats of violence notoriously pervade Bangladesh’s elections.
Moving a…
by Sajaa and Mahaa Ahmed
Introduction (by Sajaa)
My sister, Mahaa, and I have been texting, FaceTiming, Instagram and Twitter Direct Messaging nonstop since we heard the unexpected news of our Mejonana’s death on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury, also known simply as J.R.C., was our great-uncle, the middle brother of the five-sibling Choudhury clan, hence our loving “Mejo” moniker for him. Even typing the word “was” just now — I wish more than anything I could delete and replace it with the word “is”. Mahaa was gutted when she saw someone had already updated his Wikipedia…
The Sunday before Election Day 2019, I found my “muppet coat,” a loop wool coat that makes me look like a digital noise cookie monster. The last time I wore it was to Dave Clegg’s campaign launch on the steps of the Ulster County Courthouse in January 2019, where he announced he was running to be our next District Attorney.
The launch day was freezing. But my husband, Justin, and I dragged our then 7-month-old son Ray out in the subzero temperatures to hear what Dave had to say. We were not alone — we were among many, many community…
Sajaa Ahmed Tracy
Sajaa is an activist, lawyer, parent, partner and friend seeking justice and equity for all.
