Polish Ethnicity & Discrimination

American novelist Tom Robbins once said “Our similarities bring us to a common ground; our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.” Everyone has a different story, whether it’s something big like immigration or something small like family tradition. These differences don’t pull us apart, but show us how unique we are and that being the same isn’t always the best. While the typical Greek immigrant left due to economic failure, prospered in America, and brought their rich culture with them, the same cannot be said for my family. While there were some similarities between the immigration of the typical Greek and my family, there are also many differences.

The journal article begins by introducing an African American couple who resided in Russellville, Kentucky. James Wright held an occupation as a corn cutter while his wife Gladys worked as a cook in a white home. The time span of their journey occurred at the beginning of the great depression all the way through World War II. Seeking better employment opportunities, James traveled to Louisville. Although, his first couple trips were in vain. His resilience and determination eventually lead to a job working for International Harvester. During an era of many trials and tribulations, James found a way to support himself and his family by migrating from a rural to an urban area. By sharing this anecdote the author establishes a mood of hardship

When the Cuban missile crisis was at its height, my father hired a black man to shovel dirt on top of a fall-out shelter he built in a corner of our basement. This man had a large family and needed to put food on his table, just like my dad did.

My grandma's story, however, isn't as grim. In 1941, when my grandma was in first grade, they decided it was time to leave.

al, 1996, p. 65). Minority women faced greater oppression, and were less likely to be hired. If they were lucky enough to find a job, it was usually low-ranking, part-time, and short-term, as employers eagerly replaced them with Caucasians, men or both (Frances et. al, 1996, pp. 69-70). Part-time work was very common, with 25% of female workers part-time in 1989 (Frances et. al, 1996, p. 66), displaying an employer’s reluctance to allow women employees. Even as more females entered the workforce despite resistance, they were still discriminated against due to the current powers in charge.

“More important, most African Americans did not benefit from the economic boom of the 1950s that allowed so many white Americans to purchase homes in the suburbs” (Hine & Harrold 569). In our history classes in almost every American school we were taught that the 1950s was a golden age due to the high consumerism, new businesses, the unparalleled prosperity, stay at home wives, and the old fashioned American barbeque on the weekends. Although this seemed like a golden age, it was much different for the people of color, especially the black community. The African Americans lost jobs, weren’t allowed to purchase homes due to the Jim Crow laws and the 1948 Shelley v. Kramer case, and their neighborhoods were deteriorating. Instances such as these

In some instances, individuals feel that they were not hired due to race, gender, age, if she is over 40, disability or religion. (EEOC 2010) This may or may not be the situation in Nancy’s case. To ensure that Nancy

It has been argued that the labour market position and employment status of minority ethnic groups are significant to understanding the different experiences they face and the extent to which institutional racism can severely affect their life chances.

These generation of immigrants struggle with identifying with their natal language, food, maintaining a close knit relationship with their parents and culture on a general level. Most of the people I interviewed agreed that their parents had played an extremely significant role in their lives. There was even evidence that that for the benefit of their children, parents tried to transmit cultural and familial points of reference to their children and embed them in a cultural social network of meaning (Sabatier & Berry, 2008). They stated that though while growing up there was an inherent desire to be like their parents, their parents took it into their own hands and upon themselves to micro manage their children’s lives. They basically dictated what their child did, who they got to hang around with and even made sure to deal with any form of

African American’s incomes and wages were at the bottom of the scale, and they faced continuous discrimination in finding jobs and relief.

My mother came from a background that had little support in her education, poor living condition and lack of knowledge. In contrast, I was born in America with the privilege to access English education, great living condition, and knowledge. My mother struggled to find a suitable job due to language barrier and lack of qualifications. While, on the other hand, I experienced an accessible job experiences that heighten my advantages compared to my parents. My job experiences in contrast had been processed through referrals and proposals. I easily accept the job and receive salaries that were much more in compare to my parents earlier job positions. My experience in the employment industry had allowed me to not experience an ounce of struggle to search for jobs. All in all, employers seek for potential applicants to have skills and knowledge that satisfy their needs. If one does not meet the requirement or have the qualifications there are higher chances of hardships and landing a stable job in the work force. High education and great skills enables one to have a job adequately. In view of this, it is unfortunate to see that the strong, potential person people see me as, do not see the strongest person behind me. My mother may not have proper education and spoke English fluently, but have much potential as many. Therefore, I hope that the growing community and

Despite our country’s love of freedom, throughout its history, the United States has oppressed minorities. If someone isn’t a middle-aged Caucasian male, they automatically have to work harder just to receive the same opportunities and compensation. Various laws have been enacted to protect minorities from exploitation, including the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which was enacted to protect women from unfair wages.

Despite where the funds are generated to support these programs and immigrants, the citizens of the US may see them as a threat to their way of life. Furthermore, this will open up a whole new issue involving the employment from a discriminatory position, which can cause problems for employers. Of course, there will be an imbalance of pay and possibly workload for some immigrants, but there is really no legal guidance on how employers should treat them. On the other hand, there will have to be guidance on what is considered discrimination for immigrants. Since they are migrants from other countries, they are not considered to be Americans. Therefore, the general principals of the country may not apply to them.

“My dad is Turkish, but my mother is America.” I explain “Only Turks get it right, They speak to me in Turkish and when I visit Turkey it feels like a relative I have known about but never got the chance to meet”

Discrimination within Poland is greatly exercised, ““Throughout my childhood, most poles (especially other children) used to call me “Negro” (pol. “Murzynek Bambo, “which literally translates into “Little Negro Boy, Bamo”). Thoday, other adults call me names like “Negresse,” “mulatto,” and “chocolate.” In the quote, it seems as though accepting migrants of African descent would tarnish the Poland identity and their colonial and postcolonial ways. The people of the Poland community feel as though Africans could never become a part of their community. For instance, ““It’s a waste to try to whiten a Negro,” “Even after a hundred washes, a Negro stays a Negro,” “water won’t help a Negro.”” With this quote, the Poland community is referencing the