Asian American Refugees

Chinese Americans have arrived to the United States through three waves of immigration. The journey of immigrating to the United States consisted of many obstacles and hardships. Chinese Americans have been in this country for centuries, and still remain one of the smallest minority minorities. To this day, they are still perceived as foreigners in the eyes of other Americans, and have been victimized for their successes. To gain a deeper understanding of Chinese immigration, we must look at the Chinese American experience of immigrant jobs, exclusion and discrimination, and the model minority stereotype.

The article, “Refugees: Who, Where, and Why” by Catherine Gevert is about different refugees in the world, where they are from and why they became refugees in the first place. The first concept the author talked about was, around the world, many refugees have had to flee, to escape to safety after being mistreated in their own country. Refugees are protected by law and given basic civil rights when going to different countries. Another key point she talks about is where these people are and in the article shows us that refugee camps are located throughout the world, but are not the best living conditions. Many refugees go here for asylum. Furthermore, some reasons people can become refugees are because of, war and “ethnic cleansing”, also known

“It was the last time I would see them for 14 years.” Uong, who is a Vietnamese refugee, fled his home at the age of 10—being separated from his family for 14 years (Uong). Being a refugee is rough as it requires one to leave his home country and to start a new life in a completely different world. According to Yen Le Espiritu, a "refugee" is described as a person who harbors "a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" (Espiritu 209). There are many variations of refugee groups as countless minority groups have left their homeland due to reasons such as persecution. Cambodian Refugees and Vietnamese Refugees are both minority groups in the United States today whom have fled their homeland to escape communism and persecution. These groups have suffered many conflicts and overcome many obstacles in order to rid themselves of persecution and in order to gain the freedom that all humans should possess. Although Cambodian Refugees and Vietnamese Refugees are two different groups, they possess both similarities and differences. Cambodian Refugees and Vietnamese Refugees share differences when it pertains to the topic of war, when it pertains to the topic of hardships faced while fleeing one’s homeland and to the topic of adjusting to life in America—while also sharing similarities when it pertains to adjusting to life in America.

1.Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans have generally been typified as the model minority which refers to a perception of them being “naturally gifted, hardworking and socially passive” (Asian Americans in Higher Education 13) Their ability to perform well academically and to remain passive in the larger social scheme makes them less threatening than other minorities, especially African Americans but the model minority myth may have worked against them, especially in the field of educational attainment. It is believed that due to the model minority myth, Asian Americans are victims of “political exploitation” (Chun 1980, p.7) and in education they are denied certain services which are readily available to other minorities such as preference in higher education systems. 2: Race: The concept of race is more often than not used as a social construct and it has been historically used as a means of making laws for the minorities and for the purpose of denying them certain rights which are easily given to the majority. Social construction of race has also been used as a means of denying citizenship and marriage rights to people and in the case of Asian Americans, Critical Asian Theory is

Asian Americans are commonly known as the “model minorities,” and they are often thought to be not as diverse as other minority groups, but that is not true. Asian Americans are very diverse, in terms of the groups that make up the group. Asian and Pacific Island groups come from the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, and India, and many other societies. These groups are diverse in occupation, education, and degree of acculturation. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have brought a wealth of traditions to the United States.

The Pew report on Asian Americans is one physical manifestation of the Asian model minority myth- the belief that all Asians are educated, wealthy, assimilable, and submissive. The model minority myth which was actualized during the World War II has since evolved to be more than a stereotype. For many Asian Americans, it has become a tangible barrier, barring disadvantaged Asian Americans equal access to social programs and educational opportunities. The myth has grown to become so influential, so pervasive that it has manifested itself in the discourses on legal policies such as affirmative action and in the rhetoric of the pseudo statistical Pew report. Racism is far from being over; it has taken on new form-praise and laudation- to justify rejection of aid to underprivileged people. The Asian model minority myth has stripped Asian Americans of their diversity and homogenized them as a privileged, educated community. As a result, Asians have

The ethnic groups stated before had been previously offered as options over the past century (O’Brien. 29). The broad scope that racial categories encompass do not take into account the diverse and often times complex mix of familial influences, societal influences, history, personal experiences, and contexts that make up an individual’s racial and ethnic identity. Individuals of Asian descent can be anyone from Indian to Chinese to Korean, all of which have diverse cultures. Due to religion, language, and phenotype differences brought on because of colonization, both Filipinos and Indian Americans show ambivalence toward their relationships with the Asian Pacific Islander racial category. For Indian Americans in particular, they were not included in the Asian Pacific Islander category in the U.S. census until the 1980s. Up until that point, Indian Americans were given the option of “white” or “other race”.

Among the stereotypes of Asian Americans, the myth of the Model Minority and Panethnic Identity are among the easiest to attribute to Asian Americans. What exactly are these stereotypes? How did they come about? Whose responsible for perpetuating these terms? And what harm are they are they doing to Asian Americans anyway?

The United States constructed the notion of race to divide the various groups. Race divides people and categorizes various groups based on physical differences such as the color of skin. However, there are far fewer physical differences between than there are similarities. The racial division of people ultimately leads to inequalities among the various groups created as a result of the social construction of race. Whites received the most privileges, while minority groups including Mexicans Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans received lesser privileges. This can be seen in legal policy, such as the Naturalization Law of 1790 when Whites could obtain citizenship while other groups could not obtain citizenship. The United States

To sum up, there are a number of factors giving rise to the social problems faced by refugees today. Democratic countries should accept refugees on duty. On the political front, it is an obligation to preserve human rights for refugees. In the social aspect, refugee is a serious problem that every country should concern with. Furthermore, refugees will promote the economic development in some extent. Government should accept people because it isan

Refugees are people who are fleeing violence and/or persecution and are looking for safety. Refugees are driven from their homes and communities by

Asian Americans have been considered as the “model minority” and research shows that this minority is achieving “the American Dream”. With a good education, earning a good living, being “hardworking, patient” and earning the highest college degree attainment rate in the US, Asian Americans fit the stereotype very well. They even fit

Asians have migrated to and have lived in the Americas since the days of our founding fathers. The first to come from the Eastern Hemisphere were a small group of Filipinos in the early 18th century that settled in present day Louisiana. The first major influx of Asian Americans was Chinese Americans who came in the 1800’s to find financial opportunity during the California gold rush. They settled in the Golden State and eventually spread out all over the United States, creating the now-famous Chinatowns that millions of Americans visit every year. There is a continual migration of well educated South Asians and East Asians for job and education opportunities and their success has formed the basis for the “myth of the model minority” (MMM). This is the idea that all people who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are successful both socioeconomically and educationally. This does have a logical basis rooted in statistics—AAPI students are reported to have higher grade point averages, math scores, and overall standardized tests scores on tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Exam (ACT). Other studies often use a racialized rhetoric comparing Asian Americans to white Americans in terms of education and socioeconomic status while contrasting them to the so-called “lazy” and “incapable” Hispanic and African Americans.

Who are actually regarded as Asian Americans in the United States (U.S.)? Asian Americans as the public living in the United States are who self-distinguish as having Asian, in entire or in part, regardless of whether they are the U.S. or foreign born, a U.S. citizen or not, length of living residence, or in the U.S. legitimately and lawfully. Some people may say that all Asian Americans are same as just being Asians, but Asian Americans are not same as being Asians, at all. Asian Americans have totally distinctive point of view of life and they have their own lifestyles, values, ethics, norms and languages, compared to simple Asians living in their countries with a native language. In general, there

A refugee is a person who was forced to leave their country. Whether it be from warfare or natural disaster, their homes are no longer safe to live in, so they need to relocate elsewhere. Once someone sets foot on the journey of becoming a refugee, they become vulnerable and dependent with no sense of what the future will bring. In an attempt to accommodate them, first world countries with the resources necessary to assist these refugees, are struggling to determine whether or not they should step-in and help. Some argue that taking them in could come with excessive consequences, while others believe they could be assets. Although there may be a few consequences, they are outweighed by the benefits and undeniable severity of the situation.