Guyanese-born Dr Taj Rajkumar, the New York State Assembly District 31 District Leader, enjoys assisting Guyanese who have challenges accessing and benefiting from government services here in the United States, including with immigration matters.
He recently spoke with Guyana Times International, when he highlighted his commitment to and passion for political work. “I like politics because it gives me an opportunity to help people deal with their problems, with their issues. Our people don’t understand the American political system — how to access government services. That’s what I have been doing,” the district leader said, adding that he has had success thus far in bringing assistance to Guyanese in Queens, New York.
He said that there are parents who may want to send their children to college but are unaware of federal and state grants they can easily qualify for, based on income requirement, and he would be their guiding compass.
Rajkumar works closely with the elected representatives of Queens, New York, including Congressman Gregory Meeks of the Sixth Congressional District, to ensure the needs of the constituents are met.
Within that jurisdiction, there are some 70,000 Guyanese living in Ozone Park, Jamaica, South Ozone Park and Richmond Hill; and Rajkumar said, “In my opinion, they have really transformed this community. If you drive around, you will see new houses, the houses are well kept,” he said, and reminisced that, in the past, before the 1980s, the neighbourhood was unattractive.
“Our people here are very ambitious, very assertive, very aggressive; because everybody wants the American dream, and to accomplish that, you really need to put in a lot of work.”
Rajkumar is no stranger to the sacrifices that are necessary in order to realise the American dream. His first job in the U.S., when he left Berbice in 1978, was in a factory; then he worked in a mail room. It took him less than a year in the second job to realize that he needed to achieve more academically to accomplish greater things.
“Because I realize (that) in America, unless you have a high level of education, you are not going to make that much progress,” the district leader said. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Crop Science, Master of Science in Extension Education, and Doctor of Education with a major in Extension Education. Rajkumar is the Associate Professor of reading at the City University of New York, a position he held for some 24 years. He is also the Dean of Students at the New York Institute of Technology.
He says that, this year, he will work hard and remain active in the community affairs in Richmond Hill, to ensure everyone is happy.
