FROM NEW YORK TO THE WORLD: CAPTAIN KIBRIA’S HISTORIC CALL TO AMERICAN LAWMAKERS AND GLOBAL LEADERS
“Be Not Merely Leaders of Nations, but Leaders of Humanity.”
NEW YORK, USA | 17 OCTOBER 2026
Extending his global diplomatic and humanitarian engagement from the United Nations General Assembly to the historic heart of New York’s labour movement, Captain A.K.M. Golam Kibria (CIP) delivered a powerful international appeal for Human Equity Civilization at the 19th Annual Convention of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL), held at the historic DC 37 Main Union Hall, Manhattan, New York.
The convention’s distinguished programme featured an extraordinary assembly of American political, government, labour and community leadership, including:
U.S. Congressional Leaders: Congresswoman Grace Meng and Congressman Thomas R. Suozzi.
Senior State and Government Leaders: Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Senate Majority Leader; Letitia “Tish” James, New York State Attorney General; Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller; Julie Menin, New York City Council Speaker; Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate; and Mark Levine, NYC Comptroller.
Distinguished State Senators: Sheikh Rahman, State Senator for Georgia; Nathalia Fernandez, State Senator for the Bronx; John C. Liu, State Senator for Queens; James Sanders Jr., State Senator for Queens; Toby Ann Stavisky, State Senator for Queens; Leroy Comrie, State Senator for Queens; Kevin Parker, State Senator for Brooklyn; Saddam Azlan Salim, State Senator for Virginia; and Nabilah Islam, State Senator for Georgia.
Prominent State and City Leaders: Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, New York State Assembly Majority Whip; Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President; Vanessa Gibson, Bronx Borough President; Assembly Members Jessica González-Rojas, David Weprin, Catalina Cruz, Karines Reyes and Nikki Lucas; and Council Members Gale Brewer, Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Shahana Hanif and Farah Louis, among others.
Distinguished Labour Presidents and Civil Rights Leaders: Gloria Middleton, CWA Local 1180; Nancy Hagans, New York State Nurses Association; Michael Mulgrew, United Federation of Teachers; Shaun D. Francois I, Local 372; Anthony Wells, Local 371; Anthony Lackhan, Local 1549; Deborah D. Allman, New York Public Library Guild; and Charles Jenkins, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
ASAAL Founders and National Leadership: MAF Misbah Uddin, Founder and President Emeritus; Mohammad Karim Chowdhury, National President; Dr. Suhail Islam, Convention Committee Chair; Aziz Ahmed, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Harjit Singh Minhas, National Secretary; and Jamilla A. Uddin, National Executive Vice President.
Addressing this historic gathering, Captain Kibria issued a defining appeal to American lawmakers and world leaders:
“Do not aspire merely to be leaders of nations. Aspire to become leaders of humanity. Let history remember us not for the power we held, but for the human suffering we ended.”
Presenting his vision of Human Equity Civilization, he urged leaders to rise beyond political divisions, national boundaries and institutional interests to build a world where human dignity, opportunity and empowerment belong to everyone.
“Let Human Suffering Belong to Museums, Not to Humanity’s Future.”
Captain Kibria envisioned a world one hundred years from today, where future generations would discover poverty, homelessness and human suffering only behind the glass doors of museums—as chapters of history that humanity had the courage to overcome.
His message was unmistakable: The true legacy of leadership is not how high we rise, but how many human beings we lift.
From a village in Bangladesh to the United Nations and the historic halls of New York, Captain Kibria continues to carry his humanitarian vision onto global platforms, calling upon American leaders and the international community to become architects of a civilization founded on human dignity.
ONE HUMANITY. ONE SHARED RESPONSIBILITY. ONE CIVILIZATION OF HUMAN DIGNITY.