For the Bangladesh community, Feb. 21 marks an important day.
According to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Pakistan — which once included what is now Bangladesh — considered making Urdu the national language in 1952. East Pakistan — now Bangladesh — had a large community of people who spoke Bengali. They protested, asking for Bengali to be considered a common language in Pakistan as well. Unfortunately, one protest on Feb. 21, 1952, led to armed police opening fire on protestors.
This event marked an important shift in the history for Bangladesh. Not only was Bengali eventually granted official status as a common language in their area, but it began a snowball affect for future Bangladeshi nationalist movements.
On February 21, the Bangladesh-Canada Association of Windsor-Essex (BCAWE) were able to raise the Bangladesh flag in City Hall Square. CJAM spoke to the BCAWE secretary Mohammed Jalal Uddin about the flag raising event and its importance.
