If there’s anything that resonates with me and my family, that would be my great grandmother’s gold necklace. It started from my great grandmother which passed down to me. I have taken it everywhere I go and which made me form a connection that her spirits wander with me. This attachment gave me a comforting nostalgic feeling to have something so significant for someone special who is not here. Before my inheritance it's been to many places outside of Bangladesh before it made it to New York. There was a special moment at a family event when my aunts and uncles recognized my necklace and asked me how I got it. I proudly said “Dadi gave it to me” which means “my great grandma gave it to me” in Bengali. I felt so happy and proud of being her granddaughter and inheriting something so special that was once hers. 
I believe that this necklace shows how diverse we are and how everyone has their own ways to value their heritage. As a person who grew up with Bengali immigrants, it has taught me a lot of how we hold down and pass our values to our future generations. Being a Bengali New Yorker allowed me to explore other pieces that kids my age hold on to what might be as prominent to them as it is to me. My experience reflects and resonates with many other Bengalis in New York who share the same immigrant background. However, not just Bengalis. I’ve seen many South Asians also wear gold and know many that have inherited it from their family members as well which has a special significant meaning behind it. 

– A

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant