Joseph Khaled, A Man of Ridge
by Mayara Guimaraes
Walking out of his apartment building wearing sandals, jeans and a nice bottom shirt Joseph Khaled looked very Americanized, but more than that, he looked comfortable. “From JFK I came to Bay Ridge. I love this neighborhood, I knew back then I didn’t want to live anywhere else in this country,” explained Joseph.
But why Bay Ridge? The neighborhood is known for having a large Muslim, Indian and Bangladesh population. In the days people arrived in Manhattan by ship, they could see Bay Ridge while still aboard, and many immigrants made the decision to make the neighborhood their home at that very moment. Nowadays people arrived by plane, but the neighborhood still appelas to new immigrantes.
Khaled’s brother was connected to older immigrants who set up their own business in Bay Ridge. “Many people from my country had opened their own stores here. My brother had a Deli on 96Th Street for over 10 years,” said Khaled.
Khaled arrived when he was only 25 years old. Back then, as a recent graduate student from Bangladesh, Khaled came with the intention of getting a PhD at Kent state University in Ohio. He had just gotten his graduate degree in computer science so he decided to get a student visa to come to America and live with his brother.
Two semesters latter Khaled decided that while studying full time he was not going to have enough money to get by comfortably. His office job wasn’t providing him with a decent life, so Joseph embarked on what would become his career in this country: the restaurant business.
His first job in the industry was in a seafood restaurant that used to be on fourth Avenue in-between 85th and 86th Street (today the restaurant has become five different stores) and he felt like his horizon had expended. “I was working all day in the office to make the same money I could make in four hours inside that huge restaurant. That is when I realized I needed to become a server,” he recalled.
“Joseph picked up the business skills very fast, the only problem was his strong accent and his student status,” said Andrea Nanni, the manager of the restaurant where Joseph used to work. Since language was a barrier the alternative was to become a busboy, which to Joseph was a better option than being a server in a Bangladesh restaurant. “I learned in Bay Ridge that this country is full of people from all over the world, but the ones that really succeed here are the ones who learn the language. So I made the decision to stay in an English speaking restaurant for the sake of knowledge.”
Being financially stable made Khaled, who is a Muslim, decide he was ready for the biggest step yet, marriage. “My wife and I met after our families had already decided we should get married. I had gotten my American citizenship through my brother and was ready to start a family. I told my future wife everything about Bay Ridge and we decided that we were ready to start a family together,” explained Khaled.
“I love it here. My daughter loves it here. I am so free in this country, and feel so safe in my neighborhood. Everything I need is here. Joseph chose the right place for us,” sais his wife, Umm, agreeing with him.
The restaurant business has enabled Khaled and his family to a better life and to be able to save enough money to buy property back in his country. “I have about 10 people working in my house in Bangladesh. When I go back I am going to have a very secure life. I also want to open a school for poor people,” he said. But after reflecting on this he seemed to come to another conclusion, “I am still staying in this country for the next 10 years or so. My daughter still needs to finish school and I need to save more money.”
Not wanting to leave America even after establishing a good life in their country also represents the feeling of other immigrants, “I have enough money to go home, but I am not ready yet. Maybe this country makes you greedy,” explained Habib Rahman, another Asian immigrant who has been in Bay Ridge for over 10 years.
But Joseph seems to have a clear idea why he is here. He says his daughter education is the top priority in his life, and his family safety also plays a big role. “There are many political problems in my country that makes me worry. This country makes me feel free, and that is why I am still here,” he said.