ImmigrationImages and Realities

Lee Baxter, Dustin Brooks, Lena Chiang, Lindsay Dilworth, Julianna Landry, Jay Lee, Luis Manzo, Maraia McGary, Phaydra Mutch-Geiger, Jackie Phan, Sara Pierie, Margaret Rogers, Lindsay Rozee, Lance Sasser, Michael Thyken, Alycia Werthan, Ryan Westhusing

Introduction

•Asian-American: Common Differences

•Asian Americans & The Model Minority

•Asian American Movement 1980’s & 1990’s

•Latino’s in the U.S

•Resistance

Asian American Common Differences

Who are these groups? How does the history of their immigration

shape their differences?

“Asian Americans were systematically stripped of theirpolitical, economic, cultural, and citizen rights” (Bob Wing, 2005).

Korean Americans

First wave arrives in 1903 Pursue the American dream Immigration Law 1965 Ethnic enclave Struggle

Japanese American Immigrants

WWII Pearl Harbor 1890 First arrival because of Japans

dependency on the West. Effects and aftermath – Redress Movement

Immigration Process and West Indians

Student Visas Selective Immigration process Myth of West Indians

Vietnamese Immigration

Spring 1975 – first wave (ship/ air lift). Different refuge centers throughout the U.S. The fall of Saigon

In America-

Mainstream Unwelcome Ethnic Enclaves Reunification

Chinese Immigration

First wave arrived in 1848 arrived for Gold Rush.

Economic instability (ex. Poverty and lifestyle) Effects and aftermath- The naturalization, Chinese and

Walter-McCarren Act passed 2000 Census of Chinese Immigrants

– 1,314,537 have migrated– 39.8% growth rate

Whites Blacks Hispanics/Latinos

NativeAmericans

AsianIndians

Cambodian,Hmong,

or LaotianNot Proficient in English 0.7 0.8 30.3 2.6 8.4 44.3

Less than High School 15.3 29.1 48.5 27.4 12.6 52.7

College Degree 25.3 13.6 9.9 10.8 64.4 9.2

Advanced Degree 3.0 1.2 1.6 0.9 12.5 0.4

Median Personal Income $23,640 $16,300 $14,400 $14,500 $26,000 $16,000

Median Family Income $48,500 $33,300 $36,000 $32,240 $69,470 $43,850

Living in Poverty 9.4 24.9 21.4 25.1 8.2 22.5

Public Assistance 1.3 4.5 3.5 6.1 0.9 9.9

Married, Spouse Present 64.5 38.0 56.3 50.2 74.9 66.6

Homeowner 78.2 54.4 52.4 64.2 56.8 53.3

In Labor Force 63.6 59.8 61.5 61.2 71.0 58.8

High Skill Occupation 21.4 12.3 9.6 11.9 51.6 9.8

Median SEI Score 47.0 44.0 26.0 44.0 65.0 18.0

Chinese Filipinos Japanese Koreans PacificIslanders

Vietnamese

Not Proficient in English 31.3 7.0 10.0 32.9 7.1 40.4

Less than High School 23.6 13.1 9.5 13.8 21.7 37.8

College Degree 46.3 42.8 40.8 43.6 13.6 13.8

Advanced Degree 8.5 4.3 4.6 5.6 1.6 2.5

Median Personal Income $20,000 $23,000 $26,000 $16,300 $19,100 $16,000

Median Family Income $58,300 $65,400 $61,630 $48,500 $50,000 $51,500

Living in Poverty 13.1 6.9 8.6 15.5 16.7 13.8

Public Assistance 1.8 1.6 0.9 1.6 4.4 4.8

Married, Spouse Present 67.1 62.7 60.7 69.0 61.4 61.2

Homeowner 65.7 67.6 70.8 51.9 48.1 60.0

In Labor Force 65.1 68.3 58.0 62.0 67.4 63.5

High Skill Occupation 41.9 29.7 32.0 27.0 13.8 22.6

Median SEI Score 65.0 46.0 62.0 52.0 38.0 32.0

Socioeconomic Characteristics of Asian & Other Racial/Ethnic Groups

Asian Americans & The model Minority

Model Minority myth- all other minority groups should follow the lead and example of the one supreme minority group. The Model Minority is defined as a bright shining example of hard work and patience whose example other minority

groups should follow.

Model Minority continued..

Model Minority myth is based primarily on statistics.

Do statistics lie? Myth of Asian Success

– Genetic Advantages?– Cultural Traditions?

“Success Story of One Minority Group in U.S.”

Origins of the term Model Minority Created in the 1960’s U.S. News and world report

– Work ethics – Highly intellectual minds

Exploitation of Chinese Americans

Today’s immigrants from Asia

Middle class immigrants vs. refugees Consequences of the model minority myth. Whites vs. Asian Americans Overall Impacts

Asian American movement 1980’s & 1990’s

Asian American Movements Pre-1980’s

Asian American population grew due to reform of immigration laws

More Asian Americans in poverty and more hate crimes

More Asian Americans enrolling in universities

Organized successful grassroots organizations

Impacts of Movements prior to 1980

Proud of Asian culture Accelerated desegregation of the suburbs

with middle-class Asian Americans Moving into predominately white suburbs Young Asian Americans gained access to

higher education – greater numbers enrolling in universities including elite universities

Possible Reasons Asian Americans were able to make such progress

Cultures emphasis on education/Family values/community cohesion

Structural changes in Gov. policy and changes in global economy

Grassroots organizations able to last into the 1980’s Many were small business owners which gave access

to “start up capital” Rise in number on young Asian American professionals

due to the removal of quotas at universities and more job opportunities for middle-class people of color

Increased Number of Neo-Conservatist Professionals

Born during the Regan-Bush ear Experienced a time period of class and racial

polarization. Emphasize individual advancement through higher

education Proud to be Asian American and speak out against

racism Belief in ending affirmative action will result in ending

racism Oppose minority quotas admitted to universities Belief that lack of advancement for other groups of

color are due to their culture

Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) 

Founded in 1977, composed primarily of Chinese immigrants, most are workers in low-wage industries. 

Main Focus : Is on workers and improving their living and working conditions. 

Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA) 

Founded in 1983, it is a community-based organization.

Main Focus: To empower low-income, limited -English-speaking Asian immigrant women in their homes and their work places. 

Korean Immigrant Worker Advocates (KIWA) 

Founded in 1982, it is focused on low-income Korean immigrants in Los Angeles' Korea town 

Main Focus: Bringing labor issues to the forefront of the Asian American community, educating labor unions about the needs of Asian American workers, and forming coalitions with other forces in the city to deal with interethnic tensions 

The Future Vera Cruz 

Manong generation: came in the early twentieth century and worked in restaurants, fields, and hotels 

United Farm Workers (UFW): he helped develop the organization and now is the vice president 

Empowerment: Vera Cruz has defined the word empowerment as the “expansion of democracy for the many”. He also says that empowerment is not for an elite group of people. It is up the people to join together and develop their own ideas and then have leadership build from there.”

Cruz’s movement for liberation 

Compassion/solidarity/commitment  “whiz kids”: growing poor population,

increase of non excelling students, and large number of family owned businesses not making it

Need for change  

Latinos in the U.S.

Who are the new immigrants (as compared with historical figures)?

Where are the new destinations of these immigrants? Why have most changed choice of destination

(changed cities)? What immigration patterns have there been in Oregon?

New Destinations

Where are the new destinations? Changed cities Patterns in Oregon

Latinos in the U.S. Continued…

What is the growth rate of native born Hispanics vs. foreign born Hispanics?

How many undocumented workers are there in Oregon?

What is the rate of growth of these undocumented workers?

What do we believe is the main underlying cause of immigration into the U.S.?

Latino Immigration

Immigration has been thought to be a direct result from the push factors from people’s home country.

Economic factors largely influence the numbers of immigrants flowing into the U.S.

When unemployment in the U.S. hit a record low at 3.9% immigration was at its peak.

At the highest unemployment rate the Mexican immigration was at its 15 year low.

Latinos in the U.S. conclusion

We have shown many graphs and tables made up of raw statistics from three major sources.

The statistics have shown us where most of the immigrants are coming from.

The statistics indicate how many of them are documented workers vs. undocumented workers.

Where the new destinations are for Hispanic immigrants.

The underlying causes of immigration.

Resistance

Be Down With The Brown

March 1968 - Chicano and Chicana high school students walked out of class to protest a racist educational system The “Blowouts”

Began with several thousand students from six schools, and increase each day till 10,000 had struck

Brought the largest cities school system to a halt First time Chicano students had marched in masses

in demonstration against racism and educational change

Thirty Years Later New “Blowouts” Emerged

Combating repressive new anti-crime laws Re-election of right wing Gov. Pete Wilson To fight proposition 187- (the call to deny

educational and health services to anyone suspected of being undocumented)

The “Blowouts” focused on public schools for the reason that California’s public schools lose $17.20 for each un-excused absence per day

Reasons

Racism in the school system was at the top of the list for the reasons of the new blowout wave

Nation wide Latinos have the lowest high school graduation rate of any group

Of every 100 Latinos who enter kindergarten only 55 graduate from high school. Of those 55, only 25 enter college, Of the 25, 7 finish Only 4 go on to graduate school and 2 finish

Boycotting Taco Bell: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) was founded in 1995 with workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Haiti

October 1997, the CIW launched an “anti-slavery campaign” to call to public attention to sub-poverty wages in the tomato fields and orange groves

Focus Attention on Taco Bell

CIW discovers that the power is beyond the growers and focus attention at the large corporations

Boycott Taco Bell because they are the largest consumers of the tomatoes they pick

CIW gives demands to Taco Bell, there is no response from Taco Bell

Taco Bell

The coalition decided to target 16-24 year-olds, which was the largest consumer for Taco Bell

CIW begins the Truth Tour receives a great deal of media attention

The Coalition of Immokalee       Workers

Students “booted the Bell” from campus or declared their campus a “Taco Bell-free zone”

Pressure toward the shareholders at the Yum Brands start to develop

Taco Bell has not reached the demands of CIW

Freedom Riders

Since 9/11, immigrant communities generally, Arab, Muslim, and South Asian communities in particular, feel besieged. The federal government has conducted random sweeps workplace raids, and carried out secret detentions and judicial proceedings, initiated special registration programs based on nationality, and deported established immigrants based on mere technicalities

Since 9/11, the government measures have ended up going too far, These measures target immigrants who have nothing to do with terrorism

Freedom Riders

The government’s actions have also made it more difficult for millions of immigrants to work and provide for their families and driving them further underground

This system keeps millions of hardworking immigrants from becoming full members and enjoying equal rights in this nation. Resulting in exploitation, separation from loved ones, and no protection by our laws 

Freedom Riders

The Immigrant Freedom Riders set out striving for Policies that work for immigrants and all Americans

Nearly 1,000 Immigrants joined in the cross county ride of 20,000 miles. Stopping at 100 cities to expose the injustice of current policies toward immigrants

They joined in various rallies and protests, and met with more than 120 members of Congress in their pushed for a road to citizenship

The immigrant Workers Freedom Ride ended in New York on Oct 4

More than 125,000 union and community supporters joined the workers who had crossed the country in effort to put immigration issues on the national political agenda for 2004

Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United (PCUN)

PCUN=Pineros y Campesinos Unidos Del Noroeste

Oregon’s union of farmworkers, nursery, and reforestation workers, and Oregon’s largest Latino organization

PCUN’s fundamental goal is to empower farmworkers to understand and take action against systematic exploitation and all of its effects by being involved in community and workplace organizing

PCUN

Founded in 1985 PCUN has more than 5,000 registered members

Office is located in center of Oregon filtered agricultural industry in the mid-Willamette Valley, city of Woodburn

A cultural center for the Valleys Mexican community, Woodburn currently has a majority Latino population of just over 50%

What and Who is PCUN fighting for?

Oregon farm workers Employees work long hours for low wages, with no overtime

pay, paid breaks, seniority, job security, or other benefits Seasonal workers often housed in squalid labor camps

owned and operated by growers or labor contractors Exposed to a myriad of chemicals and pesticides sprayed on

crops and often lack the proper protective gear and training to apply pesticides

They also lack the right to collective bargaining, which is guaranteed to all other industries under the National Labor Relations Act

How Do They Do It?

Through successfully organizing and collective bargaining Organizing efforts: PCUN’s Collective Bargaining

Committee uses various direct organizing tactics, such as visiting fields, distributing leaflets, and holding house meetings and marches, yet PCUN also organizes through its Service Center for Farmworkers.

Collective bargaining: Most effective and lasting way to improve Farmworker conditions it re-addresses the power imbalance between growers and workers, and establishes respect, fairness and dignity as the bases for the employment relationship.

Collective bargaining agreements negotiated by a committee elected by their peers and ratified by a vote of the workers

Key Components Of These Agreements

Expeditious procedure to resolve grievances; Seniority rights Prohibition against retaliation/discipline without just

cause Paid breaks and overtime pay Right to refuse work in conditions unsafe or hazardous; Right to paid and unpaid absence Right to information about chemical used in the

workplace Union recognition None of these protections or procedures is presently

provided by law

Collaborative Efforts: PCUN Works Closely With a Variety of

Other Local Organization

Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, runs the farmworker housing units in Woodburn

Voz Hispana, organizes Latino voters and educates community members of the legacy of Cesar Chavez

CAUSA advocates for immigrant rights Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas promotes

economic and leadership development for farmworker women

National Level

Advocates with the Oregon Legislature to protect farmworkers rights

involved national and statewide collaboration around issues such as controlling pesticide use and protecting the health of workers

PCUN has led or been involved in numerous organizing efforts and campaigns since its founding

Sources

Asian Nation Website www.asian-nation.org “Success Story of One Minority Group in U.S.” Us. News & world Report (1966) in

Asian-American Studies, eds. Jean Yu-wen Shen Wu and Min Song (Rutgers U Press, 2000), pp. 158-163

Elaine Kim, “Home is Where the Han Is,” in Asian-American Studies, eds. Jean Yu-wen Shen Wu and Min Song (Rutgers U Press, 2000)

Min Zhou, “Are Asian Americans Becoming White?”, Contexts vol 3, iss 1 (Winter 2004)

Excerpts from Glenn Omatsu, “The Four Prisons” and the Movements of Liberation: Asian American Activism from the 1960’s) in Asian-American Studies, eds. Jean Yu-wen Shen Wu and Min Song (Rutgers U Press, 2000), pp. 176-194

The Model Minority Website http://modelminority.com/article1067.html

Sources, Continued

A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade http://pewhispanic.org/reports/middecade/ Rise, Peak, and Decline: Trends in US Immigration 1992-2004 http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/53.pdf Immigrant Workers’ Freedom Ride Coalition http://www.iwfr.org/

PCUN (Northwest Tree Planters and Farmworkers United) http://www.pcun.org/resources/aboutpcun.asp Peter Ian Asen, “Boycotting Taco Bell: The Coalition of Immokalee

Workers,” A Troublemaker’s Handbook, ed., Jane Slaughter (Labor Notes 2005)

Elizabeth Martinez, De Colores Means All of Us (South End Press, 1998) Chapter 25

The End…

Any Questions?