Dr. Shabana Parvez, MD, FACEP, US Bureau Chief of The Desi Buzz and founder of Arlington Integrative Medical Associates (AIMA) and Babies4.us, sat down for an exclusive and insightful conversation with Mary Jobaida, an educator, community advocate, immigrant leader, and candidate for the New York State Assembly. Mary’s journey from a rural village in Bangladesh to becoming a voice for working families and immigrant communities in New York is both inspiring and empowering. In this candid interview, she shares her story, her vision, and the lessons she has learned along the way.
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Watch the interview on YouTube
Dr. Shabana Parvez: “Welcome to The Desi Buzz Show. Today we are honored to host Mary Jobaida, an educator, community advocate, immigrant leader, and candidate for the New York State Assembly. Mary’s journey from a rural village in Bangladesh to becoming a voice for working families and immigrant communities in New York is both inspiring and empowering. We look forward to learning more about her story, her vision, and the lessons she has learned along the way.”
Background & Personal Journey
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Mary, let’s begin at the beginning. Tell us about your childhood in rural Bangladesh and some of the values that shaped who you are today.
Mary Jobaida: I grew up in completely rural village in Bangladesh and without shoes, without electricity, almost like wet by the rain and dried by the sun, that kind of rural environment. But the community where I grew up was very inclusive, non-biased, non-judgmental, and pretty much multi-religious because we had Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Rakhine. So interacting with all in an inclusive environment.
I’m actually the ninth born of my parents’ 11 children. So I grew up with the entire football team. And it was fun growing up in a community and a neighborhood full of children and older people to look up to. It was a great childhood.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So you had already an early exposure to a very cosmopolitan environment before you even moved to New York City area, essentially. And I’m sure that period without shoes and just being in nature and at the whim of the weather also gives you resilience. So you moved from Bangladesh to New York in 2001. That must have been a life-changing experience. What are some of the biggest challenges you would say you faced in those early years?
Mary Jobaida: I would say that… I’m probably one of those very fortunate, even though I came from Bangladesh in Black Burka, and in a completely different culture, and right after 9-11, it happened in 9-11, and I came here on November 16th, it was a Friday, and I was embraced by a community, very inclusive and very lovely community, who always protected me, kept me shielded, so I did not, I didn’t think that I can, pinpoint any direct challenge as a new immigrant that I faced, rather, I remember more beautiful memories, like, whenever I would go somewhere, the community, somebody or somebody would understand, in those days, we didn’t have any Google Maps, we had a gigantic subway maps, huge, we would take it, but still would get lost in different boroughs when I would visit there, and somebody or somebody would take me to the tennis stations, buy coins, not, today’s MetroCard or Omnicard, but, you know. And then put me on the right train to make sure that I was home safe.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s great. That’s very welcoming. Many immigrants do arrive when they come with a lot of dreams, but also a lot of uncertainties or fears. So what motivated you to keep moving forward during any difficult times, if you may have had any?
Mary Jobaida: I have been almost like living by moments. So whatever is in front of me, I am present in that moment. And whatever is doable, I continue to do. This kind of personality I have. So when I came here and the community accepted me, I became part of it by default. And anything that I saw that did not feel like it was the right thing or the right environment, I would always try to make it better. So this is how, like, it was a, it was gradual, but a spontaneous, the, I entered in activism and ended up in politics.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s great. So it’s really about just trying. As opposed to running away from a situation that didn’t feel right or didn’t seem right, you were actually trying to make it better. That’s amazing.
Mary Jobaida: Yes, because I’m part of this community. So wherever I am, a part of it, yeah.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So you were a mom raising three children and pursuing higher education. How, at that time, were you balancing your family responsibilities and your academic and professional ambitions?
Mary Jobaida: I have to acknowledge that I’m not a superwoman or a superhuman. There are moments definitely like compromise needed and sacrifice needed. It’s not only myself. I believe that is my entire family, my children and their father. We all together created a supportive environment where some expectation definitely was compromised. This is how I made it to all different fields that I’m currently involved in. And I’m grateful to have that environment and freedom.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Yeah, you got your bachelor’s and your master’s while raising a family. Now, so as I say, other, if there are other non-traditional students who are watching this, what kind of message would you like to share with them? You know, people who might feel, oh, it’s too late to pursue, you know, formal education.
Mary Jobaida: I went to college with my first born in stroller. And I will say that our journeys are unique, our pathways are different. So we are on our own timeline. Some people graduate from college, have jobs, and then they marry, they have children. And someone like myself who married first and then went to college as a non-traditional student with children. So our path was different. And we are all right. And there’s no certain time that when we have to do certain things. And as long as we are acknowledging that we are unique and we are on our own timeline. We do not compare with somebody else because somebody else is on somebody else’s timeline. Right.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Everybody has their own unique path.
Mary Jobaida: So as long as we recognize where we are, we are present, we are doing what we are supposed to do. I’m also a believer in faith. So I believe that at the end of the day, I’m only doing things that I’m waiting to do. I’m very grateful about it.
Community Leadership & Media
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s great. So we’ll go now into a little bit of your community leadership. You became the founding program manager of the time television. And that was like the first Bangladeshi HDTV channel in New York. What about that experience? What did you learn from that experience that would talk to you about the power of media in the immigrant communities?
Mary Jobaida: I always deeply thought about the power of media. In fact, media controls the entire world. Communication systems, whoever controls communication, whoever controls media. In the of the day, they go. Control the old politics, old business, and even currently the way we see that probably individual lives even. So opening the television station was not necessarily my personal idea. It was Abu, my children’s father, my husband, and then when he started, we supported sort of like he wanted to create this station because the new generations of Bengali community, Bengali children, they understand the language when they hear it, but they cannot read it. He was a publisher of newspaper that was written in Bangla, but the new generation does not, do not read Bangla, but they understand the language. So he wanted to create a bridge where the new generation and older generation will be connected, have a platform to emerge together, and the culture, and then communities, community news, they will be able to understand. So from that feeling, he initiated this channel and I supported as a program manager, I was one of the founding members of this station.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s great. So how important do you think it is then to representation in media for the immigrant communities, South Asian communities living in the United States?
Mary Jobaida: It is absolutely very important. I have been fighting for inclusive community, pluralistic inclusive community, and we cannot achieve pluralism in inclusivity unless we make sure that the representations of all communities who are involved, of all members of the group, everyone’s voice is heard. And that’s only practical and possible when we have authentic representation of that groups or individuals or communities. So Saudisians or non-Saudisians equally, like everybody’s voice needs to be heard to make sure that we serve the people the way. Respecting them and respecting their culture and values. for that, Saudisian community in New York, and definitely like a Marjian community and to have them included, we need more representation from the community.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: You also did, you went into some healthcare challenges and issues when you were working at the Urban Health Plan. What kind of healthcare issues did you notice or challenges in the immigrant and underserved families while you were doing that?
Mary Jobaida: I am very grateful for my work with Urban Health Plan. It’s a network of community health centers. We had 27 health centers in the underserved communities from the Bronx to Harlem, New York to Corona Queens. So I worked in their outreach in external affairs. It did not Not only about health, it actually exposed me to all kind of inequality and discriminations that the underserved community faced, whether it’s food insecurity or schooling based on uneven funding or even access to healthcare, because I have seen many, not only the immigrant community who faced difficulties because of the language inaccessibility or the structural barriers, but also the black community. I met retirees who were not able to see doctors. For example, I saw one woman who had tumors growing on her wrist and she was a senior and she wasn’t able to see a doctor because of the fear of copayment. And imagine someone for the whole life of work when they deserve a better life cannot even see a doctor because of copayment is so high. So… So… Now, Urban Health Plan definitely helped me understand the community more closely and, I mean, still my feeling that I have a role in it to eliminate the difficulties that my communities are facing in New York.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So you talked a little bit about the health care issues since you’ve worked in the outreach there, you’ve worked in education and in government. So where are the greatest gaps that policymakers need to address today?
Mary Jobaida: The greatest gap as a community member and activist who work very closely and has been present in the community is the gap that the electeds are not from, they talk about issues that did not have lived experience or at least close ideas or experiences. So they see our community through their own eyes, own perspectives, and that’s far different. Then the community’s own experience, so they bring ideas that’s not necessarily treating any root causes of the hardships that community is facing, probably ties to plaster or put pastures on the issues, but oftentimes they gentrify the key struggles, but not solving it for us, so the gap is here, more communication and not consulting the communities they are serving. And it is happening because the electors, the most recent electors, they were not from the community, they did not live here enough, or they did not have enough experience or even a willingness to stay connected with these communities.
Public Service & Politics
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Wow, that’s a really good point. Now you said that you’re not really a career politician, so what actually inspired you to take this leap and to run for public office?
Mary Jobaida: The way I said, like I have been a… … … Community activists, we have waited for a long time, a while ago said, like how the electors are not connected, they come here, they package our struggle just for the benefit to win the office, and once they win, they’re completely detached from the communities. So we have been waiting for far too long to see that someone will solve our issues, or elected will turn out to be a true advocate, true champion, to help our communities, the struggling, underserved people, but we have been always disappointed by anyone and everyone that we continue to trust on. So at some point, I felt like, why not us, instead of waiting for a miraculous solution, where somebody to emerge that can help, why not, we don’t solve our own issues, we don’t help ourselves.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: From that spirit, I decided to run for office. So you mentioned already some issues such as, you know, the lack of access to health care because of co-pays, etc., food insecurity, essentially, lack of access to healthy food, perhaps education, and maybe not definitely what seems like one of the messages you’re echoing is just there is not proper representation by those in public office who are tasked with helping solve the issue. They are out of touch because they haven’t lived those issues, they’re not really from the community. So are there any other, would you say beyond those, one of the other top three issues do you think that, say, working families today in Queens and New York, what are the issues, other issues that they’re facing, the top issues?
Mary Jobaida: The top three issues, not only in my district, but also in entire New York home east to the west, has been housing. Because our housing, because Because Because our Housing is completely gripped by the developers, for-profit developers, and they are coming to our communities in the name of creating housing or affordable housing, and once they make the luxury buildings, they keep a tiny portion of that luxury building, like 5% to 15% for affordable housing. And once they create those units, they put income flow bar, who can apply and who cannot. That’s what they did not say before coming here. For example, the most current one in my district is asking for 122k plus for a single person household to qualify for lottery for affordable housing. Remember, lottery, not actually housing. So, we do not know how many, how many people, actually, like, rarely any person are in, who are with entry-level job to qualify. If I for even their lottery for affordable housing. So this is not affordable for us. This is a mockery. This is a, I don’t know if it is cynical. So I will fight to drop the income flow from this affordable housing so that it opens up for our communities to anyone to apply for. And also fight for deeply affordable housing that should reflect our community’s income.
And the second one health care I’ve already spoke about, like, we have some of the best health care providers, mean, health care centers in our, in our world class health care centers in our district, even in Long Island City and Historia. But when it comes to services, our local communities are not, either they find it too expensive to, um, receive those services or it is completely inaccessible for local communities. So, you know, it’s very. So I will fight for universal single power health care so that everyone has access without any kind of copayment because nobody embires diseases and our health are related to each other. We all ride the same subway. We all get on the same buses. So on on on contagious disease untreated can actually invite an entire pandemic or new epidemic. So we have to make sure that everyone has access to health care for everyone’s safety.
And finally, the school system is not equitably funded. First of all, it’s very discriminatory. The funding system is based on zip code. And, you know, our children are not born by the choice deciding whose parents they want to be born to or whose neighborhood they want to be born to. It’s just a coincidence. So the system funds the schools that are in a wealthy neighborhood. So the children who have early exposure to all the educational materials or all the opportunities, they have better funding, better access in a school as well, whereas like children who cannot have access or they’re not exposed to educational materials or better child, you know, well-funded childhood. They are the one whose schools are deprived of the right materials and right resources needed to do better in school and thrive. But end of the day, the system compares these two groups and decide one group is very brilliant versus the other groups. So this decision based on exposure is very biased. So I will fight for equitable distribution of resources when it comes to funding to schools, to make sure. you. That even though we cannot give the same family, I mean, same resources in their families, but we can at least offer them a better education or at this quality education in the schools to all of our children.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Yeah, we’re going to pause one second here. Mary, okay, there, your video was frozen. Can you Okay. So how has your immigrant journey influenced your approach to leadership and policymaking, would you say? Is this because of you really are feeling you’re in the community, you’re, you know, you’re part of it and you can see the real challenges.
Mary Jobaida: I came to this country with. And then converted it to V-visa. From there, the immigrant permanent residency visa, I mean, residency, and then citizen. So I have seen many different layers and stages to become American citizen. And that empowers me about the stages involved, you know, more than on way, you know, and also becoming a citizen in this country. It was emotional, because I grew up in a different world, different environment, and I, with love and pride in that birth land, and then does a lot of decision making, and whether or not I wanted to be American citizen, give up allegiance to my birth land, to take allegiance to a new country. And from that moment one, it does definitely like involved a lot, like, I believe that maybe The sacrifice that is involved in this entire process will never be fully understood by people who are born in this country. So as a result, they can easily curse this country. They can easily say, I hate this country, but we cannot because it is almost like going through a heart surgery. We got a new heart and we do not want to go through that surgery again. So we are preciously saving it so that we don’t need to face the difficulties once again. So as an immigrant, the way I love this community, the way I am concerned and caring that I have to make this my home and I do not want to change it again. So I have to take care of my home to keep it more livable, more accessible, more affordable for everyone.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So speaking of making a more livable home, what does an inclusive New York look like? Real in practical terms for everyday residents. One I think you already mentioned is affordable housing. And what else does like inclusivity look like in New York?
Mary Jobaida: Inclusivity for me is also pluralistic by the pluralistic inclusivity. I do not only fight for inclusivity because inclusive community can actually, unless it is pluralistic, it can invite people to suffer within. So I fight for pluralistic inclusivity like the Salad Bol community where everyone will exist without being imposed any other ideologies or lifestyle or anything. So my inclusive community is like everyone will have access to at least all fundamental or universal needs, human needs, like access to food, housing, healthcare, education, and good environment. And happiness that they can pursue. So that is my kind of inclusivity, where everyone will belong by default, they don’t need to announce it loudly, or they do not want to be over-appreciated for who they are, they just will feel they belong, and they can call New York their home with happiness in mind and contentment.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Right. Now, on this show, I’ve interviewed quite a few South Asians in different political spheres all over the country and the world. So now, in American politics, a lot more South Asians are becoming more active. So what advice would you give to them if they want to serve their communities through public service? Any particular words of advice from you?
Mary Jobaida: South Asians becoming part of politics is spontaneous. It’s not, I don’t think there’s a decided, like coincidental demand of the time, moment. Mm-hmm. Mm Myself, and sometimes like some of us came from countries that needed to be liberated, like I know our ancestors fought against injustice, whether it’s language-based, whether it’s border-based, whether it’s any kind of, or even within their own nation. So that a little bit, I mean, passed down to generations that when we see any kind of injustice going on, whether it’s Black Lives Matter thing, or any racial biasness, or any faith-based hatred, we feel inspired to speak about it and to make sure that our communities, whether, no matter what language they speak, or how they look, or which direction they pray, or even what life is still, who they love, or what is their, what life is still to follow. Nobody is discriminated, nobody is, everybody feels that they belong.
Family, Friends & Support System
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Mm-hmm. So let’s talk a little bit about Family and support system, because obviously, you know, most people who are successful have some sort of behind the scenes support. So how important has family or friends been to you in terms of navigating these challenges, immigration, education, motherhood, public service, all of that that you are doing?
Mary Jobaida: Family probably is number one barriers or number one catalyst that they can help or they can create barriers. In my case, I was very fortunate. I have been actually living with disability. I’m partially deaf. I have machines in my ears and I do lip reading. So I was fortunate to have always support support system around me who overlook my weaknesses, who always made me feel included and inspired me to do something better. They never even didn’t and never even made me feel. I like I was growing up with disability at all because I only got to know that I was having hearing disability only in 2021. You can imagine I went to school with that, went to college with that, and by nature taught me how to lipread and I was dependent on books and audiovisual mediums, like more visual way to learn things. So the family, like when you talk about, like in American journey, it has Abu, my children’s father, like he always supported me. He was the one who sent me to college and inspired me to continue this work, like always, always would tell me like, Mary, you are so loved in the community. And so for him, it’s like not everyone, God gives certain quality that you have it. So I think it’s your responsibility to make sure that you use your skills and the quality that God given, I mean. Characteristic and everything, opportunities, to help people around you.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: How does your family feel about your decision to run for public office?
Mary Jobaida: I have actually one out of, when it’s a family, like I will say Abu’s family, like my family lives halfway world away. I’m the only one in this country, no brother, no sister, no parent. So everyone lives in Bangladesh and all over the world, but nobody, nobody is here, it’s Abu’s family. Abu’s sister, Abu’s mom. So when for the first time, for example, I wanted to run for office, Abu was not, I was hesitant, because we had little children, and how the life is going to be from Albany to New York City, and I see to Albany back and forth for- A- A So Abu spoke with his mom with the hope that the mom will say like, okay, you don’t need to run for office. So when Abu said, mom, people are asking Mary to run for office, what do you think? And my mother-in-law, who was not educated formally, who didn’t have any institutional education, who was a village woman, and directly told Abu that if God wants to honor my daughter, then why you are stopping it? Let her do what she wants to do. And it was the community once, yes. And I’m very grateful to the entire family.
And this time when I’m outside, I said, like, you know, I miss my breakfast with my children because I leave early in the morning. I miss my lunch. I cannot catch up with dinner often, but the family, the children. Children, they’re very kind, they’re very supportive, they always say like, we are very proud of what you are doing, and we are more happy to see what you are doing, and my sister-in-law who lives not far from my house, in good time, bad time, at least she keeps, at least she’s the guiding presence there, if not directly in person in my home, seeing the children, at least I know that there’s someone next door or somewhere here who the children can run to in the, in time of need, and she often calls, she often calls me and tells me like, how I can help, and feel sorry that she cannot help now, but her guiding presence herself is the biggest help.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s great, that’s very good. So, what other, any other friends, neighbors, community members, have they helped to shape your path and encourage you in this leadership role to pursue?
Mary Jobaida: Of course, with the, you know, always politics are. Anything begins from the closest community. Neighbors are the reason that I was able to adapt in this country. Neighbors are the reason why I’m fighting for politics, because these are the people who accepted me, embraced me as their sister, or their own. And I grew up in rural Bangladesh, forget about speaking good English. And my communications, I came here with zero exposure to American culture. So, neighbors were the ones who were very compassionate, and they helped me develop English from their conversational English. They would fix my grammar, the pronunciation, and made me feel confident, and trusted me with advocacy.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Who has been the most influential person in your life, and what lessons from them continue to inspire you today?
Mary Jobaida: Now, if you say the most influential person, on. In life, that was probably my father gave me the first freedom I needed to enjoy as a human, like in my village, who, even though I grew up in a rural village, even without a paid road, he inspired me to pursue education and then ride bikes. I was actually a biker and learned how to ride motorcycle and shoot from gun at the age of 10. So, and then probably preparing me to face the real world and anytime there would be any women-related issues, would always take me there to see how the lives of women firsthand sitting there, like what the many levels of barriers and hardships women can face in real life. So a lot of guidance and lot of things, a lot of healing. Here. He raised me as a very free person.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So are there any other lessons from parents or elders that continue to guide your decisions or your leadership style today?
Mary Jobaida: I think we need to be exposed. It’s all about exposure. There’s nothing and anything seriously needed needs to be taught, learned, or modeled from someone else. It’s probably the exposure and the freedom that somebody can have from very early age. In our village, there would be a lot of charity events. People from Germany would come with Caritas, for example, like one of the charity organization with all the white people, English speakers would come to the village. And then Rabatai al-Alami would come from Sudan with very tall black people coming to the village. has The Christian, Christian cites cites. Children people would come with a lot of missionary ideas, so we were exposed – I was personally exposed to all different people and groups of people from very early age. My dad would always put me on the same table where they would be sitting instead of like discriminating me or not letting the children sit with them. He would be like – eat from the same dining table with them.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: I love that.
Mary Jobaida: That’s really Carrying the English-Bengali conversation in our own way.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Nice.
Mary Jobaida: So I felt – I don’t know. I never felt like I needed to learn anything specifically different. All I had that like I was growing up with kind of like activism from very early childhood. Yeah.
Fun & Personal Questions
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So if you could have – now some fun questions besides the politics and the leadership now. If you could have dinner with any three people – if they’re living or, you know, dead – any historical figure or living – who would it be and why? Any three people.
Mary Jobaida: Maybe Malcolm X. Malcolm X would be the person.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Anybody else? You have up to three.
Mary Jobaida: You’ve got three. Malcolm X.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Up to three.
Mary Jobaida: I had the opportunity to meet many great people from Dr. Yunus to know them from very close. I’m not that person who usually models things from others much. I’d rather learn more from the communities and more from marginalized communities where I work.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Like, the everyday experience shapes my policies, my idealism, my why Malcolm X, let’s say? Why Malcolm X?
Mary Jobaida: Malcolm X is on different here because that was a time period when there was an uprise in black movement. And I read news articles how, after even he died, how news portrayed him as… Not as a leader or amazing human that we currently hold him, you know, uphold him to, but in a negative character. So I would sit with Malcolm Xtern to probably talk about like, was there really another way, a creative way to keep him alive and achieve the goal that he was pursuing by saying, by any means necessary? Was there any means that was left out that actually caused him to be killed instead of, instead of achieving that inclusion for black people?
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s an interesting question. What about, is there any one Bengali food that takes you back to your childhood?
Mary Jobaida: Childhood? I was, I grew up with, I was actually sort of omnivore as long as it was halal. So I would eat anything. Okay. I grew up, I grew up eating wild food, vegetables, wild fish, wild caught fish, wild hunted animals.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Amazing. Yeah. Like living on, like from the land.
Mary Jobaida: That’s, that’s great. Yeah. Yeah. So a little bit of a wildness is in me too.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Your children, what do your children say is your best quality? Or, and, or what would they tease you about?
Mary Jobaida: My first one calls me Barbie Mom. She says like, I am like a Barbie. Wherever Barbie goes, if there is no any solutions or any path, the path is created. So wherever I go, I create community. find, somehow, I find I belong and community accepts me, ideas and everything. And my little, little two, excuse me, like Barbie has, I think they say like Barbie has, Barbie’s pilot or something like that. Like, you know, and then the older one always say like, Mom doesn’t need to have a license to fly plane. Mom has her driver’s license.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s her good enough, you know. That’s cute. How else you relax? How do you relax or spend time with your family? How do you take care of your, you know, wellness when you’re not working, organizing, campaigning, doing all? What is your down time like? What do you do for fun?
Mary Jobaida: I would say like I’m actually one, I’m not going to say that, I’m created with some blessings, like God-given blessings. One of them is I do not take one own experience to another experience. Like when I go home, I’m fully mom. I’m like, I don’t know how can I say that, I’m like always the children, even the older one who is a 21-year-old jumps on me. And then the other two, we are sitting, we are cozying, we are hugging each other, we are giggling a lot. Like we are very funny, extremely funny, sometimes like I am a funny person, more like a sort of like a stand-up comedian type person in real life. So the children laugh a lot when they’re with me. And when I’m in the field, I’m only politics, I do not bring home to my political field. actually are able I’m able. Every hat is different. Every hat that I’m wearing is different. And I do not mix one hat with another one. And it’s not that I want, I do not want to or intentionally do it. I think I’m very, very blessed to have this quality, like innate quality. I’m grateful to God for that.
Rapid Fire Round
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Tea or coffee? Which one?
Mary Jobaida: None.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Street food from Bangladesh or New York street food?
Mary Jobaida: I would go for fuchka.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: And one word that you would say best describes Queens.
Mary Jobaida: Diverse.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: What about one word that best describes your leadership style?
Mary Jobaida: Inclusive.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: One Bengali word that perfectly describes you. don’t speak Bengali, but I’m going to throw it out there for those people watching. They don’t know what one Bengali word would describe you.
Mary Jobaida: Bhalu.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Bhalu. And what does that mean? Good. Good. Good. Just a good person.
Mary Jobaida: Great. Just simple good.
Legacy & Future
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Yeah. Yeah. So what do you hope in the future, if your children are looking back on your journey years, from now they’re looking back, what do you hope they will remember most about you, their mother, and the values that you stood for?
Mary Jobaida: I try to create a very inclusive community where everybody belonged. Mm-hmm. And everybody, in a district, I want to leave that everybody can call home with love.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Well, if you did get elected to office, what would a successful first term look like for you? So at the end of your first term, what would it look like? What would make you say, I’ve had a successful first term?
Mary Jobaida: I will say that I have dreamed to solve a lot of issues, but I may not be able to solve 100% of everything. But I want to, I will feel successful if I can stay connected with my community, provide the best constituent services where people will not. I know, People will not cry alone or suffer alone navigating the complex system we have, the governmental system, where there are access to resources so that they have honest talk where they can go and speak with real people instead of waiting for weeks or months to be answered on phone or get a reply from email, send. And so have real people to talk to and real people answering any why they have, like now people are searching for a lot of whys that any time they cannot have those things. So I’ll bring, if not I’m able to solve the problems, I’ll bring that explanation to them, and that’s how I feel like my first year will be. That’s good.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s at least a good starting point for sure. I guess that’s probably the answer to one of my follow-up questions, going to be what kind of New York do you hope future generations will inherit?
Mary Jobaida: That’s the detailed introduction. Very inclusive, very pluralistic, a salad bowl, New York.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Salad bowl where everyone has education, healthcare, health.
Mary Jobaida: Yep, a salad bowl, New York, where everyone belongs and everyone has the access to education. I mean, the housing, food, healthcare, and childcare, and especially clean air and environment, and where they feel, where they can actually raise their children without any, without much concern. Where one income per one family member will be good enough to bring home rent and still have enough time to spend with their families. Instead of going to three different jobs, working extra while seven days, and still not being able to bring home enough rent amount of money or bread, or, and still, everybody suffers in in, in, in. . So I want to end that very unsettled moment, and I want to make sure that our communities are affordable, entire New York State is affordable, and no one needs to go through these difficult hardships to exist here.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: So in closing then for viewers that might be watching you from the US, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, at least anywhere. In the global South Asian diaspora, what message would you like to leave for them about hope, opportunity, or civic engagement?
Mary Jobaida: Based on my life experience, also that wherever we are, we should belong there. We should embrace our communities, not only based on how we look or what languages speak, we should also learn from each other, like from next door neighbors, from the school, from communities that we take, and also acknowledge all the opportunities that we have in this country or wherever we live in, like the air we breathe in, the food access from the grocery stores, as simple as little thing like that, where we receive the needs that keeps us alive. So based on that, we should actually form the alliance, the communities, and recognize each other, and we should feel belong and we should make sure that everyone feels belong.
Closing Remarks
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Yeah, thank you so much, Mary. Your journey is remarkable. Thank you for sharing your beautiful vision. Your story really does reflect resilience, determination, community spirit, which is actually part of so many immigrant success stories. And I really appreciate your commitment to really, really inclusivity, public service.
Mary Jobaida: I want to say, actually, when you talk about belonging, belonging should not be begged. Belonging should not be asked for. It should be natural because the moment we are born on this earth, naturally we are thrown into a world to belong.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: Right.
Mary Jobaida: So once we own it, like the ownership of belonging, that will probably create that environment for each Each of us, instead of creating the discrimination or begging or asking for it. Once we get it, accept it as a universality, okay, I am here, I belong, and that would probably create that belonging for everyone and inclusivity by default. But once we continue to whine or ask from someone, then we are just empowering a system that was not built to have inclusivity in mind or have everyone in mind.
Dr. Shabana Parvez: That’s true. Very good, very, very good thought. Thank you so much. I wish you continued success, and thank you for joining us on The Desi Buzz Show. Wish you good luck in all your endeavors and your upcoming elections.
Mary Jobaida: Thank you so much. I truly appreciate that you are giving me exposure to wider audiences and love and respect to you and all our communities and your audiences, South Asians.
