On Sunday morning (US time), Hamtramck residents will wake up to a huge mural depicting a smiling little girl draped in colours of Bangladeshi flag flowing into sprawling tea-gardens, and a Bengal Tiger in all its majestic glory crouching by her feet.
Believed to be the first such outdoor painting on US soil depicting Bangladeshi culture and history, the mural, for many, is a celebration and recognition of the Bengali identity in America.
"The mural fills me with a lot of pride for our Bangladeshi heritage and gives me a sense of having left a mark on the United States," says Farhan Huq, a physician and soon to be dermatology specialist, who has worked with other community members to make this mural possible.
The 55 feet wide and 46 feet high mural has been painted by Mexican-American artist Victor Quinonez, also known as Marka27. Shapla flower, tea gardens, Nakshi Kantha patterns and Bangla alphabets are some of the elements carefully chosen to depict the rich heritage of Bangladesh.
The project is the brainchild of activist Bill Meyer of a non-profit group One Hamtramck, who sees it as an effort to bring "people together and learn about each other".
He says the majority community in Hamtramck feels marginalised in the city government's "white power infrastructure".
"We did this to bring attention to the history and culture of these people and also to bring justice and fairness to the majority of the people," says Meyer.
Hamtramck, a small town near Detroit in Michigan, is a Muslim majority council and nearly 45 percent of residents are immigrants-- majority of those from Yemen and Bangladesh. Many Bangladeshi immigrants moved to the area because of lower costs of living, larger amounts of space, work available in small factories, and the large Muslim community in Metro Detroit. The community has also played a significant role in revitalising the town with new stores, businesses and places of worship.
Meyers says he worked closely with the Bangladeshi-American community and more than half of the funding, a total of $56,000, was generated by the community members. The project got stalled many times over the past four years, with intense debates over the selection of a muralist, the content, and nearly ended after the death of its founding member Abu Hanif.
It was at his memorial service that Meyer met the Hanif family and invited them to revive the Bangla Mural project to honour his memory.
For Subha Hanif, his daughter, the unveiling of the mural is a moment of great personal pride but working on it as an active member has meant a lot more.
"It allowed me to better understand my hyphenated identity (Bangladeshi-American) and use this unique journey to grieve the sudden loss of my father," says Hanif, a medical student at the Michigan State University.
She hopes Bangladeshi-American children will look at this piece of art and feel that it represents them and that they can be both Bangladeshi and American.
"They don't have to choose between one or the other," she says.
The mural comes at a time when an anti-immigrant sentiment prevails in many parts of American society and many immigrant groups have been subjected to hate-filled rhetoric.
"I hope it will initiate a positive discussion and understanding about Bangladeshi immigrants and their contribution to the fabric of the society," says Farhan Huq.
The mural will be unveiled at a public ceremony on Sunday afternoon with Bangla music and glimpses of Bengali culture.