Nazaha Ahmed, 18
A native Jackson Heights resident, Nazaha has only ever known this neighborhood as home.
Amrin: Ok so for our second interview, I’m going to interview my cousin Nazaha and she has lived in Jackson Heights her whole life. So Nazaha do you want to introduce yourself?
Nazaha: Yeah, hi everyone my name is Nazaha Ahmed. I’m 18 years old, I go to Baruch College, and I’ve lived in Jackson Heights my whole life.
Amrin: Okay so let’s get started with the interview! So the first question is what is your relationship to Jackson Heights and how did you come to call it home?
Nazaha: My relationship is that I was born in Elmhurst Hospital so I basically grew up in Jackson Heights my whole life. I’ve come to call it home because it’s where all my cousins, my friends, everyone is in so I’m pretty comfortable living in Jackson Heights.
Amrin: Okay great! So how was the neighborhood like during your childhood?
Nazaha: The neighborhood was pretty quiet when I was pretty young. There weren’t that many people but I remember there being a big Bengali community so I was always around a lot of different people.
Amrin: So how has it changed since your childhood?
Nazaha: I think now there’s a lot more stores opening, a lot of big companies are opening stores in Jackson Heights. A lot of gentrification, and there’s also more people moving into Jackson Heights.
Amrin: So would you say [gentrification is] your biggest concern with the neighborhood or do you have other concerns you want to share?
Nazaha: Yeah I think that’s a really big concern because now all the small businesses, like the family-owned businesses, are being forced to shut down because of the bigger stores opening up.
Amrin: Do you think that’s affecting the sense of community in Jackson Heights?
Nazaha: I think so because the smaller businesses are mostly like those small Bengali food stores or like those Indian restaurants maybe. So it’s losing a sense of culture in the neighborhood that was there for so long.
Amrin: Yeah so how is that sense of community different now than it was before?
Nazaha: I think now is more different, not really in a bad way because there’s a lot more people coming from outside of Jackson Heights to come visit the shops. But it’s mostly how the bigger stores are getting more popular.
Amrin: Are there any particular like ethnic groups that you interact with a lot in Jackson Heights?
Nazaha: I usually talk to a lot of South Asians in Jackson Heights. That’s the group that I see mostly living in Jackson Heights in my everyday life.
Amrin: Are there any groups that you don’t really see or don’t really interact with in the neighborhood?
Nazaha: There aren’t many white people in the neighborhood. It’s very diverse with different ethnic backgrounds but I don’t really see white people everyday.
Amrin: Do you think even though there’s different ethnic backgrounds, there is still a sense of community with those groups or is it more separated by culture?
Nazaha: I don’t think it’s separated, maybe in a way it is separated. Maybe on one block there’s mostly Bengali restaurants and on a different block it’s mainly Latino restaurants. But they’re not really divided in a way that they are against each other, but it’s people from different cultures going to those restaurants. So it’s like people from different cultures learning about other culture’s foods and heritage and things like that. So I wouldn’t say it’s really divided.
Amrin: So speaking of the restaurants that you mentioned, what is your favorite spot to eat in the area? Do you have a favorite restaurant or anything?
Nazaha: My favorite spot would be the new Birria Tacos (Birria Landia) truck that opened up. It got really big on TikTok, it was right near my house, maybe like a two min walk!
Amrin: And how would you like to see Jackson Heights in 15 years?
Nazaha: In 15 years, I would still like to see the smaller businesses still open but maybe they’ll even flourish. I’d also like to see maybe some reconstruction of the buildings since some buildings I need some renovating. But honestly I’m not sure how Jackson Heights will be in 15 years cause even now everything is changing in Jackson Heights, even the prices of rent are increasing. So who knows who’s gonna be living in Jackson Heights in the next 15 years?
Amrin: Yeah those are very solid answers! So just one last question: what is your favorite memory of Jackson Heights?
Nazaha: My favorite memory would have to be multiple memories because every year at the end of Ramadan there is always Chamrat, which is like a festival kind of thing the night before Eid, which is a Muslim holiday. Basically all of my cousins and I and my friends go to a spot in Jackson Heights where there’s a lot of Muslims coming together, mostly South Asians, who basically get their henna done the night before, just walk around, and have a fun time in the neighborhood.
Amrin: So I might ask one more: so how is like the Muslim Community in Jackson Heights different from maybe like other parts of Queens?
Nazaha: I think in the other parts of Queens, there’s not really a lot of mosques or like any Halal restaurants for Muslims to eat and enjoy. Jackson Heights has a lot of halal food options / restaurants and even have mosques so that we can go pray whenever we have to.
Amrin: And the final question is can you see yourself living anywhere besides Jackson Heights in the future?
Nazaha: Even though I love Jackson Heights, I would want to move because I’ve been here my whole life. So, I think it’s good for me to kind of leave and go explore other places and meet new people just to you know,
Amrin: Like for the experience?
Nazaha: Yeah.
Amrin: Okay thank you Nazaha and Eishika for your wonderful insights to Jackson Heights. I think this was very helpful and yeah thank you guys.
Nazaha: Thank you for having us.
