The Asian-Pacific American Population: A Case Study

After reading Chapter 8, “Asian American” I learned about the struggles that Asian American had during their arrived to the United States and the discrimination that Asian Americans have face throughout the past years from the white dominant group. In addition, I learned that the dominant group has used legislation to slow down the progress of Asian Americans, simply by not allowing them to marry white women with the purposes of slowing down the process of assimilation and to also slow down the process of acquiring a higher status in society, since married would give early Asian immigrants citizenship and citizenship leads to legal rights. I also read that despite the needed labor for the country to progress in the mid-nineteenth century white

Historian Daryl Joji Maeda called the The Asian American movement “a multiethnic alliance comprising of all ethnicities by drawing on the discourses and ideologies of the Black Power and anti-war movements in the United States as well as decolonization movements around the globe.” By the 1960s, a new generation, less attached to the ethnic differences that plagued Asian immigrant groups, began to grow and work together. The black and white binary race treatment in the US alienated Asian-Americans as an other, causing some to begin their own rally for Asian-American civil rights.

Many Asian Americans take great pride in a strong work ethic and an equally strong value system in terms of educational achievement. This cultural legacy stems from a long tradition of Asians coming into America as immigrants since the 19th century. During this time, there are third and fourth generation Asian Americans that have adopted the principles of a quality education and strong work ethic as part of being of Asian descent in a primarily white Anglo-American population. Culturally, many Asians have adopted American ways of life, but the legacy of a Chinese work ethic and educational background are a major part of how they perceive success in then U.S. In many ways, the theoretical concept of the “model minority stereotype” had developed as a way to define the overt focus on education and high levels of work ethic performance as a way of life for Asian Americans now living in America.

Americans are known most commonly throughout the world as being extremely patriotic. Most Americans are thought to be flag waving, gun carrying, individuals who love to eat at fatty fast food restaurants like McDonald's. Obviously, this does not represent Americans as a whole but rather presents them as very patriotic and individualistic. In the essay, Growing Up Asian in America, by Kesaya E. Noda states that she is, “I come from a people with a long memory and a distinctive grace. We live our thanks. And we are Americans. Japanese-Americans…” (Noda 36). In it she states that she is neither Japanese or American rather they are Japanese which incorporates both the cultures and traditions of the United States and Japan. In fact, an American can be best described as persons from the United States that are known throughout the world for their patriotism and belief that America is the best country in the world.

To be young and Asian in America is a special brand of torture. There is an unspoken dictum of silence that grips Asian youth, a denial of our place in popular culture. Asian youth walk in America not quite sure where we fit in-black children have a particular brotherhood, Hispanic children have a particular brotherhood, white children own everything else. We cannot lay claim to jazz or salsa or swing; we cannot say our ancestors fought for equality against an oppressive government or roamed the great hallways of power across the globe. We do not have a music, a common hero, a lexicon of slang. Asian youth experience personal diasporas every day.

Growing up as an Asian American, I often struggle to identify my own cultural identity. Being the first generation of both my mother and father’s side of the family, I more than often get confused between American and Asian culture when applying them to society or at home. While being raised at home, I am largely influenced by culture and traditions from Asian parents and relatives. However, when I go to school or someplace else, I am heavily judged for practicing part of my Asian culture because it is entirely different than western or American. With that being noted, I began to learn and adapt to the western culture in hopes of fitting with society as well of trying to keep my Asian culture intact. As can be seen, this situation I dealt with is the same problem the whole Asian American community faces. Mainly focusing on younger generations like me for example, the Asian American community struggles to adapt to the western culture because they were raised with an Asian influence. Wishing to fit in society and be part of the social norms, the Asian Americans community faces issues that identify their cultural identity.

The Asian American population is a major facet of American life; beginning their lives as immigrants they have worked their way to become integral members of society. In 2010 there were 14.7 million Asian Americans living in the United States and in 2011 that number increased to 18.2 million.1 Culturally, Asian American people have traditions and beliefs that contradict those of the Western world.2 “Culture molds people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs; influences their perceptions of self and others; and determines the way they experience their environment.”10 As a result there are certain barriers that exist when communicating with Asian Americans due to their cultural background. Additionally, Asians living in America suffer from the Model Minority Myth, which typecasts these people as being financially and educationally well off in comparison to other ethnic groups.2 Due to this Asian Americans aren’t considered more at risk for many health risks compared to other ethnicities; cultural and physical barriers act as a hindrance to Asian Americans receiving healthcare services, primarily mental health related services.

From Chinatown to Monterey Park, Asian Americans across the boundaries of Los Angeles are flourishing from bustling inner cities to middle class suburbia. The suburban life style was originally created by white Americans for white Americans however in today’s suburban cities and towns there seems to be a substantial group of Asians and Asian Americans thriving in these once predominately white areas(Li 1993, 318). The development of Asians and Asian Americans in the suburbs occurred through the following three ways, first is the development of Chinatown and how it became the Mecca for immigrants and the second is Asian American assimilation into American society. The last reason is the gentrification of towns such as Chinatown, and Little Tokyo.

The United States is known to acquire more opportunities and to allow people around the world to make a better living for themselves and their family. As many migrated over to the U.S., immigrants found themselves going through economic hard times. The most dramatic turn of the century was during the 1920s with the emergence of second generation Asian Americans. Although some Asian Americans were born in their homeland, coming to the U.S. at the age of six still classified them as Asian Americans as they were raised within assimilation of America. Second Generation Asian Americans experienced America more than their parents ever did and that caused a lot of concerns and tension between them and their parents. The Second Generation Asian Americans experienced tension between their parents with the emergence of the second generation, the influence of the American culture, creating their own paths and future, and the racial discrimination while growing up.

“Big Trouble in Little China” starts with a white American character called Jack Burton, who delivers his cargo to a small town and during some free time plays card games in a Chinese market. After beating everyone at the game, he is proposed a bet by his friend Wang, and wins. Wang, not having enough cash to pay himself, convinced Jack to pick up his girlfriend Miao Yin at the airport, promising after which he would pay what he owed. Unexpectedly, a Chinatown gang called the Lords of Death abducts Miao, because of her green eyes. She becomes essential to being able to revive an ancient Chinese sorcerer Lo Pan and bring him back to the flesh. This marks the beginning of the

Prior to this course, I had little to no knowledge on Asian Pacific Americans (APA). After weeks of discussing and analyzing material that dealt with the hardships that minorities such as APA individuals faced, I can conclude that this ethnic group underwent experiences that were not too uncommon from that of Latinos and African Americans. Since population in California today, consist of an average of 60% Asians and Latinos as stated in the book, “Learning English/Learning America” by Juana Mora, Gina Masequesmay, Eunai Shrake, and Ana S. Munoz, it is safe to say that students in classrooms nowadays are mainly those within these ethnic groups (Mora, Masequesmay, Shrake, and Munoz, ix). I will be focusing on three of the many stories APA and Latino students have to share in this book, that I felt related to me most as I also, am a second generation student.

The Asian Indian-American population increases dramatically every year. In 2010, a total number of 2,843,391 Asian Indian-American live in the United States. According to The U.S. Census Bureau, the Asian Indian-American population has grown to 130%, which is 10 times of the national average of 3% within 1990 to 2000. Particularly in 2010, Maryland’s Asian Indians population is 25.2%. They are the largest group among the Asian American population in Maryland. The ever-increasing migration of Asian Indian-American in the United States, especially in Maryland, increases the demand for Indian traditional clothing, especially among the Indian women.

THESIS STATEMENT: The Asian Americans have been socially constructed

Asian Americans are now the fastest growing racial group in the United States that consists of over 20 national origin groups with distinctive ethnicity, language, religion, cultural practices, immigration history, and socioeconomic status and mobility patterns. Yet, heterogeneity among Asian Americans is seldom explored empirically. In this dissertation project, I examine how intra-Asian American heterogeneity may affect ethnoracial group boundary formation and positioning in the United States using intermarriage as a key indicator. Specifically, I ask: how do contemporary Asian American interethnic and interracial marriage patterns explain their ethnic group boundary formation and racial group positioning in the United States? Intermarriage

In today’s transnational and global age, many nations have encouraged the immigration of highly skilled and affluent workers from other countries to help further develop their own country. The United States was one of the first countries to seek further economic development from highly skilled immigrants with the Immigration Act of 1965. This was a significant moment for immigrants from Asia, Mexico, and Latin America as other exclusion acts favored immigrants coming from the western nations. However, with the Immigration Act of 1965, Asian Americans had the freedom to once again enter the United States but soon faced persecution and quickly fell victim to discrimination. Both past and present Asian immigrants turn to visual and performing