India-born social activist Partha Banerjee was among five immigrants to be receive an award from the Emigrant Awards Foundation this year.

Coinciding with International Human Rights Day, a fitting theme for the work of these honorees and the organizations they support, the awards ceremony this year, On dec. 10, was hosted by City Council Speaker Gifford Miller at the City Council Chambers, New York.

Banerjee, who hails from Calcutta, is associated with the New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) in Jackson Heights, and has been actively involved in taking on legal, social and economic problems of South Asian immigrants for a long time, especially since 9/11.

“The award gives a sense of fulfillment, though I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on self-gratification,” said Banerjee speaking to India Post. “But from the social and political point of view, it helps since people will know about you and your work.”

Social activism is not new to Banerjee who was actively involved in community issues back home in Calcutta. He continued doing so even after coming to the United States in 1985, as an international student. Over the years, Banerjee has volunteered for organizations such as the Brooklyn Parents for Peace, DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving), and AALDEF (Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund), before joining NICE, the immigrant advocacy, rights and justice group.

“The problems of the poor and working class are the same whether it is India or the United States,” says Banerjee. “But the solutions are not. So you have to apply your knowledge and experience to the new situations to find solutions.”

Immigrants in the United States have been “going through hell” since 9/11, Banerjee said. There are problems of hate crimes, special registration, deportations, health care and economic problems, to name only a few. “The working class people have been going through a very bad phase. The level of repression is unfortunately very high and we at NICE are very active in this areas, helping out in various ways,” he said.

The special registration system introduced soon after 9/11 for immigrants from 24 Islamic nations and North Korea was, according to Banerjee, the “most pronounced form of racism. It was because of pressure internationally and from groups like ours, the en-masse registrations have been stopped. But the Entry-Exit registration still exists.”

Banerjee has been responsible for conducting successful community vigils—Vigil Against Violence—in areas where South Asians have been victims of hate crimes.

For any social or voluntary group to succeed in it goals, it has to have a broad base,” he says. “Our organization involves not only South Asians but poor and repressed people of all communities. We need to create large coalition groups to work effectively,” he says. “I don’t care whether they are black, white or brown.”

South Asians by themselves will not achieve much unless they work with other groups, he says. “You have to have a systematic approach to solve problems, not a cosmetic one merely based on community or race or issues.”

As a longtime activist fighting the system, Banerjee concludes that the American system is “extremely flawed.” He adds: “It is my personal opinion and not necessarily of the organization I work with. It serves only the privileged classes. It is just that the Americans have more resources, money and other means of finding solutions, but by and large it is as flawed socially as it is in India.” Banerjee’s justification of his unequivocal observation is the huge disconnect between the elected representatives and the electorate.

Being honored along with Banerjee are Yvonne Buffa from Ecuador who has made citizenship possible for 400 immigrants from 50 countries—many homebound and disabled—through the Education and Assistance Corporation of Hempstead; Altagracia Hiraldo from the Dominican Republic who helps Latinos, founded Dominican Sunday, the Latin American Unity Parade, and works to foster understanding between Jews and Latinos with West Siders Together; Dr. Francis H. Kim from Korea, executive director of Korean Youth Center in Flushing, which annually assists 1,500 young people out of truancy, violence, conflict, substance abuse and homelessness; and Farah Tannis from Haiti, who co-founded Dwa Famn (Women’s Rights), which gives round-the-clock help, safe houses, classes in self-defense and HIV/AIDS counsel to women, the first such movement in a refugee and immigrant community.