Immigration Images and Realities

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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

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Introduction

• Asian-American Common Differences
• Asian Americans The Model Minority
• Asian American Movement 1980s 1990s
• Latinos in the U.S
• Resistance

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Asian American Common Differences

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

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

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

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Japanese American Immigrants

• WWII Pearl Harbor
• 1890 First arrival because of Japans dependency
  on the West.
• Effects and aftermath Redress Movement

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Immigration Process and West Indians

• Student Visas
• Selective Immigration process
• Myth of West Indians

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Vietnamese Immigration

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

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In America-

• Mainstream
• Unwelcome
• Ethnic Enclaves
• Reunification

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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

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Socioeconomic Characteristics of Asian Other
Racial/Ethnic Groups
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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.

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Model Minority continued..

• Model Minority myth is based primarily on
  statistics.
• Do statistics lie?
• Myth of Asian Success
• Genetic Advantages?
• Cultural Traditions?

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Success Story of One Minority Group in U.S.

• Origins of the term Model Minority
• Created in the 1960s
• U.S. News and world report
• Work ethics
• Highly intellectual minds
• Exploitation of Chinese Americans

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Todays immigrants from Asia

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

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Asian American movement 1980s 1990s
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Asian American Movements Pre-1980s

• 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

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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

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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
  1980s
• 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

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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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 

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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.

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Cruzs 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  

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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?

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New Destinations

• Where are the new destinations?
• Changed cities
• Patterns in Oregon

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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.?

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Latino Immigration

• Immigration has been thought to be a direct
  result from the push factors from peoples 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.

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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.

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Resistance
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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

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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 Californias public schools lose
  17.20 for each un-excused absence per day

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Freedom Riders

• The governments 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 

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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

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• 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

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Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United
(PCUN)

• PCUNPineros y Campesinos Unidos Del Noroeste
• Oregons union of farmworkers, nursery, and
  reforestation workers, and Oregons largest
  Latino organization
• PCUNs 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

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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

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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

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How Do They Do It?

• Through successfully organizing and collective
  bargaining
• Organizing efforts PCUNs 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

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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

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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

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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

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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 1960s) 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

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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 Troublemakers
  Handbook, ed., Jane Slaughter (Labor Notes 2005)
• Elizabeth Martinez, De Colores Means All of Us
  (South End Press, 1998) Chapter 25

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The End

• Any Questions?