Atlantic City BOE to welcome first Bangladeshi member

Farook Hossain ran for Atlantic City’s school board because he wanted to be part of the process as a taxpayer and father of two students. But his win this month also made history. The longtime union worker will be the first Bangladeshi to serve on a Board of Education in Atlantic County. “I’m very excited,” he told BreakingAC. “Atlantic City is very diverse,” he said. “Almost 50 percent of the population is immigrants, but nobody’s on the board.” Hossain, 46, moved to the area from Bangladesh in 2001, and almost immediately was involved with the casino union. Running for the school board was a natural progression, said the father of a sixth-grade boy and second-grade girl. In nearly 17 years with Unite HERE Local 54, he fought for workers’ rights, Hossain said. “I always fought for women’s rights. I fought for people’s rights,” he said. “Now, I’ll fight for the rights of children’s education.” He hopes to see where cuts can be made and help be part of stabilizing taxes. Hossain was the Atlantic County Democratic Committee’s “Rising Star” last year, and is the founder of the South Jersey chapter of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor.