Part 4
America: I Am Immigrant And an American and Not an Alien!
We are now into the late 1930s to the late 1940s, three major events have occurred in grandfather life during the decade:
- Married for the second time and
became a father for the first time.
- Participated in Civic Activities.
- Started a small business.
My grandfather, Abdul Goni still had not applied for his first
papers. Due to The Immigrant Act of 1917, it prohibited him from declaring his
status as a naturalized citizen. It also prohibited any immigrants from Asian
nations illustrated in the 1917 "Barred Zone" map. Grandfather had a
double strike, due to his occupation as a seaman (lascar). United States would
not permit the entry of working seamen on ships that were docked at the time of
port call.
I do not know if grandfather applied for “The First Papers” (the
declaration of intent to become a citizen) were the first steps to apply to
become a citizen. As far as research I have not located any record sets of an
application between 1920s – 1950s. Two pivotal events impacted grandfather’s
goals were the Supreme Court ruled, “People of Indian descent are not
white, and hence are not eligible for naturalization.”- U.S. v. Bhagat
Singh Thind of 1923 (an Indian Sikh who identified as Aryan was denied
citizenship in U.S.) and the Luce-Celler Act of 1942. Thus, grandfather's
status as an alien remained unchanged over the decades.
On July 2, 1946, Truman signs into law Luce Celler Act,
granting naturalization rights to Filipinos and Asian Indians. A coalition of
Filipinos and Indians witnessed the signing, 3rd from right Sarda
J.J Singh.
One story emerged in the family; Abdul Goni would assist in civic activities. It was not clear how or what grandfather did. His great desire and others to become Americans, may had propelled him to action, like the steadfast and vigilant efforts of men like J.J. Singh, President of the India League of American and Ibrahim Choudry of the India Association for the American Citizenship to witness a historic achievement. On July 2, 1946, President Truman signed the Luce-Celler Act. A quota of 100 Filipinos and 100 Indians from Asia were allowed to immigrate to the United States annually. A first, in granting Asians immigrants to naturalize as American citizens. It meant they could own land or property under their own name and more importantly to petition for their immediate family members to immigrant to United States for the first time. I wondered if he aided in some way, my research continues.
In
1944 grandfather married my grandmother, Lilly May Bobo, they had a son, my
father, Umar Eddin. He also raised a stepson, Wahab, from the age of 2 years, a
child of my grandmother's previous spouse. It was from Uncle Wahab I heard some
of the stories. Mentioned with regularity were grandfather’s friends like, Ibrahim,
Ali, Khan, Habib, Raymond and Soliman who were also ex-ship jumping seamen. All
were a part of the Bengali networking community and members of mosques,
restaurants, and other organization that formed between 20s-60s.
One story repeatedly told grandfather was always attending, participated in prayers, and was involved, particularly in the cooking in the local mosques. The British Merchant Sailor’s Club for Indian Seamen on 100 W.38th street in Lower Manhattan he was at one such place.
Image from the
British Merchant Sailors Club for Indian Seamen. Muslims Indians men congregate
in the club’s prayer room, as the custom, sitting down, with shoes off, wearing
turbans, fezzes and led by an Iman. (Choudry is second from left, front row,
facing camera. (Photo: Nelson Morris, illustrations: Martha Sawyers, source:
Life Magazine). 1944.
Under the management of ship-jumping Bengali seamen, Ibrahim Choudry was an activist and civic leader for the Bengalis. During WWII, the club offered a mess hall, a recreation room, and a prayer room. It catered for and supported hundreds of Bengali seamen. As Vivek Bald’s, Bengali Harlem: and The Lost Histories of South Asian American, writes, “By the end of the first year, the club had 66,221 visits by Indian seamen and had served 198,200 meals.”
Ibrahim “Abraham” Choudry greeting another Muslim. Source: Hyphen Magazine
In the 1940 Census Abdul Goni was a painter at a shipyard.
Listed #19 in 1940
Census, Abdul Gani at 306 East 100th Street NYC, age 35 years old,
married, birthplace India, Alien, painter at a shipyard, earned $300 as of March
30th, head of household and lodging with Arment Baba.
Another story emerged, grandfather had a pushcart selling hot dogs and sausages, along with a special family “Indian sauce.” Vivek Bald's Bengali Harlem referred to hotdog vendors as "sold hotdogs and sausages from pushcarts along Harlem's thoroughfares—Lexington Avenue, 110th, 116th Street". By 1944, he had resided on 74 W114th Street, which would place him in the pushcarts’ location, 74 W 114th Street Harlem, NYC . In addition to other jobs, grandfather had been a doorman, a cook, a painter in the shipyard and even an elevator operator on one document listing his occupation.
In
my next and final blog, I will write about grandfather from the continuation of
the war years to the mid-50s in United States. As he pursued citizenship,
established in the community, a working-class wage earner and living with his
family.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. New
York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 [database on-line].
Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017
Original data:
Index to Marriages, New York City Clerk's Office, New York, New York.
Ancestry.com. 1940 United
States Federal Census [database on-line), Provo, UT, USA:
Original data:
United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the
United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls. Year: 1940; Census Place: New York,
New York, New York; Roll: M-T0627-02663; Page: 3A; Enumeration District:
31-1647
Bald,
Vivek. Bengali Harlem: The Lost Histories of South Asian America (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 2013), 180-187.
N.A.
(1944). Indian Lascars Fight The War at Sea. Life Magazine, Volume 16, Number 4, pages 60-64. https://books.google.com/books?id=-VYEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true
Original U.S.
Congress (1946) U.S. Statutes at Large, Volume 60, 79th Congress,
Session 2. United States [Periodical]. Retrieved from the Library of
Congress, Library of Congress.
United States v. Bhagat Sind Thind
U.S. Statues at Large 1946 – pages 443-444.
United States v. Thind, Immigration Acts 1919 & 1924 and
Luce-Celler Act
Works
Project Administration (WPA) and the New York City Tax Department. New York Municipal
Archives. DOF: 1940s Tax Photos. New York, NY, USA.
Guide to the 1940s Tax Department photographs, 1939-1951. 1940s Tax Department Photographs
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