Mary Jobaida moved to Queens from rural Bangladesh just weeks after the September 11 attacks. At the time, she wore a burqa, but said she experienced little Islamophobia because she was enveloped by her black and Latino neighbors.

“This community here, they have accepted me exactly the way I was,” said Jobaida.

Now, she's a progressive candidate for the state legislature, the first person in ten years to primary Assemblymember Cathy Nolan.

She's one of at least eight Bangladeshi New Yorkers running for local, state and congressional seats. The goal many of them share, said Jobaida, is to “demolish the establishment.”

For more information about the races mentioned in this interview, and others that will be on the ballot June 23rd, check out our voter guide, produced in partnership with Gotham Gazette and City Limits.