Predominantly Islam and Hinduism; small minorities of Christianity, Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Bangladeshi Americans, Indian Americans
Bengali Americans (Bengali: মার্কিন বাঙ্গালী) are Americans of Bengali ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage and identity. They trace their ancestry to the historic ethnolinguistic region of Bengal region in the Indian subcontinent, now divided in South Asia between Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. Bengali Americans are also a subgroup of modern-day Bangladeshi Americans and Indian Americans. Bengalis are also classified under Bangladeshi Americans.[3] Significant immigration of Bengalis to the United States started after 1965.
Many Bengali Americans participate in an annual conference, the North American Bengali Conference, in order to celebrate their culture and discuss issues the community faces. They often form regional organizations to network and plan events.
Religions
Bengali Americans are mostly adherents of either Islam or Hinduism. This is manifested in the yearly celebration of Eid ul-Fitr, Durga Puja and other religious celebrations. Several secular holidays are also enjoyed by the whole community, such as the Bengali new year, Pohela Boishakh.
There are also at least two Bengali Buddhist temples in the United States, near Washington, DC[4] and New York City.[5]
Notable people
Sears Tower (now Willis Tower), was designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan. It was the tallest building in the world for over two decades.
Abhijit Banerjee - recipient of The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
^"More Foreign-Born Immigrants Live In NYC Than There Are People In Chicago". Huffington Post. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2015. Over 40 percent of the United States' Bengali population lives in New York City.
^"Bengali speakers to be counted in US census". 10 December 2017.
^"Virginia Bouddha Vihar, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA". Retrieved 25 June 2022.
^"Sadhanananda International Buddhist Monastery, Brooklyn, New York, USA". Retrieved 25 June 2022.
^"In Memoriam Kali S. Banerjee". Retrieved 17 March 2015.
^"16 faculty members, 18 alumni elected to nation's historic academies". The Princetonian. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
^"News at Old Dominion University". Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
^"2010 Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research". Archived from the original on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
