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Hello
and thank you for visiting our New Jersey web page! We hope this
serves as a useful resource to South Asians living in New Jersey.
On this web page, you can learn facts about our community in New
Jersey, find information on projects that SAALT and other South
Asian organizations are working on, locate links and contact information
for various service providers and discover exciting upcoming events!
THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN NEW JERSEY
According
to the latest US Census data, nearly 185,000 South Asian residents
live in New Jersey - making the state home to the third largest
South Asian population in the United States!
General
Population:
-
Of the 185,000 New Jersey South Asians, approximately 170,000
are Indian, 12,000 are Pakistani, 2050 are Bangladeshi and 1100
are Sri Lankan
- Between
the years of 1990 and 2000, the number of South Asians in New
Jersey increased by 113%
- The
population percentage of New Jersey South Asians by county is:
31.8% Middlesex County, 12.5% Hudson County, 10.5% Bergen County,
6.4% Morris County, 5.3 % Essex County and 33.6% other counties
Nativity
and Citizenship of New Jersey South Asians:
-
77% are foreign born (outside of the US), while 23% are native
born (inside the US)
- 55%
are US citizens, while 45% are not US citizens
Education:
- 78%
of South Asians have some form of post-secondary education (compared
with 53% of all NJ residents)
- 32%
have Graduate/Professional Degrees (compared with 11% of all NJ
residents)
- 13%
of South Asians did not have a high school diploma (compared with
18% of all NJ residents)
English
Speaking Skills: (compare with all NJ residents, out of whom 11.1%
speak less English less than "very well")
-
Very Well - 69.2%
- Well
- 20.3%
- Not
Well - 8.1%
- Not
at all - 2.4%
South
Asian Languages Spoken At Home in NJ:
-
Gujarati - 47,324
- Hindi
- 31,395
- Punjabi
- 7,725
- Urdu
- 18,733
Occupations
of NJ South Asians:
-
Professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste
management services - 21%
- Educational,
health and social services - 15%
- Manufacturing
- 15%
- Retail
Trade - 14%
- Finance,
insurance, real estate and rental and leasing - 10%
- Information
- 6%
- Other
- 19%
TELL
US YOUR IMMIGRATION STORY
SAALT
is currently working on a project to highlight the rich diversity
of South Asians in New Jersey. We ask you to share your personal
experiences as an immigrant in New Jersey with us. Stories can include
information about your point of entry into New Jersey, successes
you have achieved, barriers you have overcome or challenges you
face today, and anything else that is important to you.
This
is an opportunity for you to be creative so please feel free to
use pictures, paintings, videos, etc. to express your story! Contact
reema@saalt.org if you have
any questions or would like more information on the project.
SAALT'S
NEW JERSEY EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
Nearly 200,000 South Asians reside in the state of New Jersey. The
New Jersey Community Empowerment Project developed from a series
of meetings in 2004 with South Asian organizations in New Jersey,
allies and with concerned South Asian individuals. Through these
dialogues, it became clear that South Asian communities in New Jersey
are underserved and largely voiceless in policy debates.
In
response, SAALT developed the New Jersey Community Empowerment
Project. The objectives of the New Jersey Community
Empowerment Project are to:
1.
Strengthen and coordinate local efforts to raise awareness of emerging
needs and existing services for South Asians;
2. Monitor and engage in statewide policy discussions that will
impact the South Asian community;
3. Conduct outreach and education to the South Asian community;
and
4. Encourage the South Asian community to become strong and visible
participants in New Jersey's civic and political life through programs
that foster civic education.
Since
2006, SAALT has been involved in a wide range of activities to engage
the South Asian community in New Jersey. Some examples of our work
include:
-
Conducting outreach to religious and community based organizations
around issues of civil rights and access to services;
- Engaging
in policy and advocacy work on immigrant and civil rights issues;
- Coordinating
activities to engage South Asian community members such as community
forums, election monitoring and documentary screenings; and
- Informing
the South Asian community about issues of concern through community
education materials, monthly e-newsletters and a SAALT New Jersey
webpage.
Upcoming
Activities in 2008
SAALT will be releasing and conducting outreach around a series
of issue briefs in the upcoming year which outline key issues affecting
the South Asian community in New Jersey such as anti-immigrant sentiment,
access to resources and services, and demographic information. Our
emphasis in 2008 will be on issues of civic and political engagement
including civic education programming. We will also be expanding
a New Jersey SAALT Circle, a group of individuals interested in
advancing the objectives of the New Jersey Community Empowerment
project.
Get
Engaged!
If you would like to get involved with SAALT's New Jersey project,
please contact Qudsia Raja, SAALT's New Jersey Outreach Coordinator,
at qudsia@saalt.org. To reach
SAALT at the national level, please email saalt@saalt.org.
PAST ACTIVITIES
Frequently
Asked Questions Brochure for Middlesex County Residents
SAALT
has created an informational brochure for Middlesex County, New
Jersey residents. The brochure provides information on immigrants'
rights and services and benefits available to both documented and
undocumented immigrants living in Middlesex County. Click here to
view the brochure.
For the Hindi version, please click here.
Immigrants'
Rights and Resources Forum
SAALT,
in coordination with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education
Fund, Center for Social Justice - Seton Hall University School of
Law, Manavi, NAMI-NJ/SAMHAJ, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education
Fund, Sikh Coalition, South Asian Bar Association - NJ, South Asian
Health Project, United CDC and UNITED SIKHS organized an Immigrants
Rights and Resources forum in Iselin, NJ in September 2006.
Panel
speakers included representatives from the American Civil Liberties
Union of New Jersey, American Friend Service Committee, Center for
Social Justice - Seton Hall University School of Law and Manavi.
Participants
received information on the rights of undocumented immigrants; resources
and benefits available in Middlesex County for documented and undocumented
immigrants; and information on state and federal level immigration
policies affecting South Asians.
Public
Statement on Edison Incident and Follow-up Work
SAALT
received numerous phone calls and emails from concerned individuals
and organizations after Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE")
arrested Rajnikant Parikh during a protest in Edison on August 2,
2006. In response, SAALT partnered with other New Jersey based South
Asian organizations to issue a public statement. The statement outlined
SAALT's major concerns: ICE's presence at the protest; the potential
collaboration between Edison law enforcement and federal immigration
officials; and racial tensions between Edison township officials
/ police, the South Asian community and the non-South Asian community.
We met with Edison's Mayor and Chief of Police thereafter to address
our concerns and make recommendations for a non-disclosure policy,
cultural and sensitivity training for police officers and measures
to decrease racial tensions within the Edison community at large.
We continue to conduct community awareness and education on the
issue.
Election Monitoring in Edison and Jersey City
For
the past two years, New Jersey SAALT volunteers have monitored election
polls in Edison and Jersey City. The volunteers also administered
a survey that documented information on English proficiency, important
issues to the voter and problems encountered while voting.
GET
INVOLVED!
There
are many ways you can be involved with SAALT in New Jersey:
-
Volunteer to conduct outreach at religious centers in New Jersey
- Help assess needs of New Jersey South Asians by administering
our survey
- Serve on our Winter Dinner Series committee and help plan the
event
- Become a Community Liaison and help connect SAALT with local organizations,
leaders and individuals in New Jersey
If
you don't live in New Jersey, you can still be involved with SAALT.
USEFUL
LINKS/RESOURCES
South
Asian Resources:
Manavi
P.O. Box 3103, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 435-1414
Provides services for South Asian domestic violence survivors
Sikh
American Legal Defense and Education Fund
1413 K Street, NW, Washington, DC
(202) 393-2700
Serves the needs of the Sikh Community, including civil and religious
rights
Sikh
Coalition
396 Broadway, Suite 701, New York, NY
212-655-3095
Defends civil rights and liberties in the US, educates the broader
community about Sikhs and diversity and fosters civic engagement
amongst Sikh American
South
Asian Health Project
(800) 530-9821
Achieves health equity for individuals of South Asian origin through
individual and community empowerment
South
Asian Mental Health Awareness in NJ
(732) 940-0991
Helps South Asians understand mental illness and empowers South
Asian families and individuals
South
Asian Bar Association - NJ
200 Executive Drive, West Orange, NJ
(973) 736-0100
Provides forum for networking, education and advocacy and serves
legal needs of South Asian community
UNITED
SIKHS
JAF, P.O. Box 7203, New York, NY
(646) 338- 5996
Assists underprivileged and minority communities through civic,
educational and personal development
Civil Rights / Immigrants Resources
American
Civil Liberties Union
89 Market Street, Newark, NJ
(973) 642-2086
American
Friends Service Committee
89 Market Street, Newark, NJ
(973) 643-1924
Asian
American Legal Defense and Education Fund / Asian American Legal
Project of New Jersey
99 Hudson Street, New York, NY
(212) 966-5932
alex@aalegalproject.org
Boaz
Community Corporation
5 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ
(732) 220-1535
Catholic
Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark
976 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 733-3516
International
Human Rights / Rule of Law Project, Seton Hall Law Center for Social
Justice
833 McCarter Highway, Newark, NJ
(973) 642-8700
International
Institute of New Jersey
1 Journal Square Plaza, Jersey City, NJ
(201)653-3888
Legal
Services of New Jersey
Immigrants Rights Project
100 Metroplex Drive, Edison, NJ
(800) 773-5765
Middlesex
County Bar Association
87 Bayard Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 572-9100
New
Jersey Division of Civil Rights
140 East Front Street, Trenton, NJ
609-292-4605
New
Jersey Immigration Policy Network
89 Market Street, Newark, NJ
(973) 621-0031
Services
& Benefits Resources
Legal
Services of New Jersey
(888) LSNJ-Law
New
Americans Program
32 Ford Avenue, Milltown, NJ
(732) 247-3727
NJ
Department of Human Services
P.O. Box 700, Trenton, NJ
(609) 292-3717
Resource Directories
Community
Resource Directory - Health and Human Services
South Asian Health Project
New
Americans Program
Resource Handbook
for Middlesex County
Resource
Handbook for Mercer County
- A Directory of Social Service Agencies Serving New Americans in
New Jersey (Middlesex & Mercer Counties)
RESOURCES
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