Soc 269 : Final Exam
Secondry Assimilation (Asians)
Asian Americans are highly urbanized / less concentrated in the central city neighborhoods / a large number are moving into the suburbs of metropolitan areas Asian Americans compare favorable with societywide standards for education achievement (differences exists) Jobs and Income: As a single category, Asian Americans have achieved success and equality (differences exists / closer examination warranted)
Occupational adaptation of Korean Americans
Nationwide, the 12% self-employment rate of Korean Americans is the highest of all ethnic or racial groups, including whites.
What are some push and pull factors for Japanese immigration?
Push: Students studying white culture Pull: Laborers/sojourners
Profiling Mexican American Identity (Racial profiling and Mexicans)
Racial profiling is a repressive social practice that uses group characteristics to individualize stereotypic behavior for minorities in American society. The practice of racial profiling victimizes minority persons to support a White hegemonic structure that promotes White values and beliefs as superior. The harmful effects of racial profiling on Mexican American social identity are discussed in this article. Several court cases are reviewed to illustrate how "Hispanic identity" is used by law enforcement agencies to profile Mexican Americans as either drug smugglers or undocumented aliens.
Secondary Assimilation (Irish
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Secondary Assimilation Puerto Ricans
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Which model is appropriate to use when explaining the Mexican American experience?
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White Privilege and Male Privilege
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continuing language discrimination (Mexicans)
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dominant group's initial conflict position
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the debate surrounding a phobia versus an "ism"
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Martital Assimilation (Mexicans)
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Operation Wetback
(1950s) initiated to deport undocumented and illegal immigrants / more than 4 million Mexicans deported
Martital Assimilation Cubans
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Martital Assimilation Puerto Ricans
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The Conflict view concerning the Asian American Experience
- When employers needed inexpensive alien labor, they recruited it and reaped the profits. - When times turned bad, those with power used intergroup ethnic antagonisms to divide the working class and thereby protect their interest. As black, white, and Hispanic workers treat Asian Americans as the enemy, the real culprits are those who benefit most—the sweatshop employers, the corporations that avoid capital-modernization expenditures to maximize profits, and the U.S. based multinational corporations that establish factories in low-income countries, marketing their products in the U.S. and elsewhere for higher profits.
Primary Assimilation (Irish
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Primary Assimilation Cubans
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Primary Assimilation Puerto Ricans
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Principle of Third Generation Interest
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Are Asian Americans becoming White?
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Cultural Assimilation (Irish
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Cultural Assimilation Puerto Ricans
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Martial Assimilations (Irish
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What are some factors that facilitated assimilation among Irish Americans?
.Degree of Similarity: A preference hierarchy among White ethnic groups based on religion and region of origin .Ethnic Succession/Various Structural Factors: The process in which White ethnic groups unintentionally impacted one another's position in the social class structure of the larger society. .Changes in the Socio-economic Environment: Political Machines: The continuing mechanization and automation of the workplace facilitated structural mobility Opportunities for education were abundant Machine politicians provided economic opportunity and linked individuals to a central and important institution of the dominant society. Labor Union: Labor movement provided opportunities for acquiring resources, power, status, and jobs. The Church: The church served as a partial power base for gaining acceptance. Crime: An alternative way to achieve monetary rewards and resources
Mexican American cultural characteristics
1.Language 2.Religion 3.Machismo 4.Family Relations
The Mexican Civil Rights Movement
1960s: The Chicano Movement: Intense activism and militancy. Demanded justice, fairness, and equal rights. Questioned the value of assimilation and sought to increase awareness of continuing exploitation (solutions lay in group empowerment). Tactics included marches, rallies, voter registration drives, etc. The label of Chicano: name came from the minority group members themselves
How did the first wave of Cuban immigrants differ from the second wave?
1st significant wave of immigration (1960s): mainly middle-, upper-middle, or upper-class people (political refuge rather than economic betterment) 2nd significant wave (1980s): Dubbed Marielitos / lower in social class (criminal element tainted entire group)
What are maquiladoras?
A factory in Mexico run by a foreign company and exporting its products to the country of that company.
Refugee Group
A refugee is a person who is outside their country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted 'social group'.
What is scientific racism?
A set of beliefs that includes (1) the belief that racial and ethnic groups form a natural hierarchy of superiors and inferiors; (2) the belief the White race is superior to the non-White races; and (3) the belief that the "Nordic" segment of the White race is superior even to its other segments.
comparisons between the Irish and African/Native Americans
Again, the point here is not simply that Irish people suffered from bigotry—they certainly did, but many other ethnic groups suffered as much or more. And of course there were many Americans who did not subscribe to these kind of stereotypes. The point is the malleability of our stereotypes. These cartoon images looked like Irishmen and women to people who saw them. Many nineteenth century Americans saw irish people as a group that simply could not be made "American," as in this cartoon from 1889. They saw them as violent, as non-white, as doomed to poverty and ignorance.
What is nativism?
Actions and policies based on the hostility of natives toward foreigners.
the Gentlemen's Agreement
Anti-Japanese campaign San Francisco School Board orders a separate school for Orientals Compromise between Japan and the U.S. Repeal school segregation Government of Japan would issue passports to the U.S. only to non-laborers; laborers who lived in America but had been visiting Japan; the wives, parents, and children of those who had settled in America
What are some characteristics of an ethnic enclave?
Based on the idea that immigrant workers may be part of a special type of economy that provides unusual routes of upward mobility. The ethnic enclave is based on community solidarity, the presence of a pool of disadvantaged ethnic workers, and vertical and horizontal integration. Social, economic, and cultural subsociety controlled by the group itself Geographically concentrated Sufficient ethnic dominated economic enterprises and social institutions Political dominance
Characteristics of the 2nd wave of vietnamese regugees
Boat people.
the Group Threat Hypothesis using the early experiences of the Chinese
By the 1880s Chinese immigrants were being viewed not only as an inferior and undesirable population, but also as an actual threat to American culture, American government, and even the Caucasian race. Peoples of European background could not understand how the Chinese could live in such crowded, poor conditions and work so hard for such low wages. They concluded that the Chinese possessed some super-human power, perhaps a result of their mysterious religion, their strange and isolated culture, or induced by smoking opium which allowed them to accept their situation and continue to work hard. Novelists wrote stories in which Chinese characters were outwardly quiet and submissive but were inwardly sinister and cunning. Some of these Yellow Peril novels predicted that Chinese immigrants were part of a secret plan to invade and take over the government of the United States replacing American culture with that of the Chinese.
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez organized the United Farm Workers Advocated nonviolent direct action
What were some characteristics of traditional Chinatowns?
Chinatowns offered safety of urban anonymity and neighborhoods where culture could be maintained / 'invisible minority' Chinatowns became the economic, cultural and social centers of the community Provided social and welfare services Associations / Tong wars
What is the Model Minority myth?
Criticisms: Primary purpose is to support and strengthen the notion that the main cause of economic and social problems among racial minorities is a lack of effort, rather than discrimination / racism. Assists to align racial minority groups against one another. It divert attention away from those who have downwardly mobile. Distracts attention from the fact that more established Asian ethnic groups are still the victims of various forms of discrimination.
Secondary Assimilation Cubans
Cubans have clearly exceeded Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in both the pace and degree of economic success
Cultural Assimilation Cubans
Cultural assimilation is strongly evident in language usage- as Latinos/Hispanics move to second and third generations, English becomes their primary language
Cultural Assimilations (Mexicans)
Cultural assimilation is strongly evident in language usage- as Latinos/Hispanics move to second and third generations, English becomes their primary language. The role of proximity to country / ethnic enclave
Know the features of the Minority Group Threat Model (the four key components of the model and the characteristics concerning the relationship between the dominant and subordinate groups)
Dominant Group + Minority group -> Minority group size increases -> Competition -> Threat Discourse. Immigrants entered into a social system in which a colonized status for Mexicans had already been established. The powerful political and economic interests of the dominant group in the US determined the flow of population from Mexico. US policy of immigrants fluctuated with the dominant's group's sense of threat
Alien land Law
During the early 1900s, the Japanese moved increasingly into agriculture (West Coast) Sense of threat Act did not specifically mention any nationality / prohibited ownership by those who were 'ineligible to citizenship.' Registered their land in the names of their children or trusted American friends
the historical timeline concerning the Mexican American experience
Early 1500s: Spaniards conquered and sought out to Catholicize the native population in what is now Mexico. Mestizos (mixed people: Spanish men and indigenous women) / outnumbered the Spanish colonizers) [Hispano - Indian society resembled a melting pot]. After centuries of exploitation, Mexico won its independence from Spain (1821) Mexicans had established numerous communities in what is now southwestern U.S. Massive migration to west (railroad and gold) / people settling in Mexican territory (new migrants outnumbered indigenous Mexican population). Mexican government actions: freeing slaves and placing restrictions on U.S. immigration- angered white immigrants. Manifest Destiny: Many people believed that America should span the entire continent [prejudice and discrimination: Mestizos were viewed as being inferior] 15 years after gaining independence from Spain, Texas breaks away from Mexico. Texas is eventually annexed by U.S. (1845) War: (1848): The Mexican government was forced to cede the Southwest area for $15 million dollars. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo- residents had the choice of remaining or moving to Mexico (assured their legal rights and their language and cultural heritage would be protected) Private land ownership over communal land.
Anglo dominance (economic institutions, education, law, language, and religion)
Economic dominance: The early forms of capitalism that dominated much of northern Europe during colonial times shaped the US economic system / the English capitalist provided the 'know-how' Educational dominance: British industrialist and educators established the public school system. They shaped the curricula, instruction, and supervision / Socialized students to assimilate and adopt Anglo-Protestant manners Legal and political dominance: Laws and traditions inherited by the English. They helped to shape the legal institution = established common law. Established representative government. Language dominance: The English language has endured for centuries Religious dominance: For the first 200 years, English churches dominated the American scene
What is xenophobia?
Fear of foreigners
WWI and Mexican Immigration
Movement across the boarder was informal and largely unrestricted Earlier restrictive immigration legislation reduced flow from Asia and Europe U.S. employers actively recruited Mexicans
How did Cubans and Puerto Ricans differ in regards to prejudice and discrimination
For the most part, the group is physically indistinguishable from the Euro-American population; as a result, they enjoy a status that precludes racially based stereotypes Resentment about language (Miami has become a bilingual city, and this has met with Anglo resistance) Elian Gonzales (2000): polarizing event separating the Cuban and Anglo population in Miami
Great Depression & Mexican Immigration
Great Depression of the 1930s decreased the demand for labor / recruiting stopped Some Mexicans returned voluntarily US government instituted a repatriation campaign (deportation) Mexican population decreased by 40% during the 1930s
Primary Assimilations (Asians)
High rates of interracial friendship choices
League of United Latin American Citizens
Integrationist and reflected assimilationist values of the larger society (promoted Americanization and greater educational opportunities for Mexican Americans
Mexican immigration in relation to the Minority Group Threat Model
Immigrants entered into a social system in which a colonized status for Mexicans had already been established. US policy of immigrants fluctuated with the dominant's group's sense of threat
Sojourners
Immigrants who intend to return to their country.
Immigrant Group
Immigration (derived from Latin: migratio) is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence.
Internal Colonialism (aka Blauner Hypothesis) (Mexicans)
Involuntary entry, intense and immediate prejudice and discrimination, and perpetual disadvantaged status
five different types of immigrants
Individuals with official visas (legals) Undocumented immigrants (illegals) Braceros (seasonal farm workers on contract) Commuters (individuals with official visas who live in Mexico but work in the US) Border crossers (individuals with short-term permits, many of who become domestics)
Why is Oriental a problematic word?
It brings up unfortunate chapters in our global history It has problematic racial and political connotations It's more appropriately used for inanimate objects
What does master status mean?
Master status is a sociological term used to denote the social position, which is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual. It is defined as "a status that has exceptional importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life" [1] The master status, whether ascribed or achieved, overshadows or dominates all other social positions of the status set in most or all situations. The term was suggested in an article of 1945 by Everett Hughes who cited sex and race as illustrations of dominating statuses.
Primary Assimilation (Mexicans)
Latinos/Hispanics have advanced further than African Americans. In regards to residential mobility and integration, Latinos/ Hispanics have shown signs of dispersion. Nearly half of Hispanics/Latinos live in suburbs.
What were some push and pull factors for early European immigration?
Major 'pull' factor: Opportunities to open trading posts and for new sources of raw materials (GOODS and MARKETS). In 1790 about 60% of the US population could claim nationality or descent from the British Isles.
cultural beliefs among the Vietnamese (e.g., phuc duc)
Many people believe in predestination, with very limited individual control over events Strong belief in astrology. Strong belief that one must continually exercise caution, self-control, mediation, honor, modesty, and moderation Culture is oriented toward achievement of group goals, primarily with extended families
Characteristics of the first wave of Vietnamese refugees
Middle class / migrating for political rather than economic reasons
Was the Japanese internment unconstitutional / racist?
Military necessity v. Racism
the concept of mocking Spanish
Mock Spanish is a term sometimes used to describe a variety of usages common in some otherwise monolingual Anglo-American circles. The term has been popularized by anthropologist-linguist Jane H. Hill of the University of Arizona, most recognizably in relation to the catchphrase, "Hasta la vista, baby", from the film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Hill argues that the incorporation of pseudo-Spanish terms like "hasty banana" (for hasta mañana), "buenos nachos" (for buenas noches), "el cheapo", "no problemo", "hasta la bye-bye", and other humorous uses constitute a type of covert racism. Hill found that Mock Spanish was especially prevalent "among middle- and upper-income, college-educated whites".[2] She discovered that many of those who make use of Mock Spanish in their casual speech consider it harmless or even flattering, while native Spanish speakers are likely to find it insulting. She presented an argument that Mock Spanish depends on the covert indexing of negative stereotypes of Spanish speakers, and that it can only be accurately interpreted if negative stereotypes about Hispanophones can be accessed.
What dilemma do Puerto Ricans often face when migrating to the United States?
Most Puerto Ricans in the US are dark-skinned; as a result, they often experience same forms of prejudice and discrimination as do Blacks
Martial Assimilations (Asians)
Out-marriage rates for Asian Americans (15% - 34%) are higher than African Americans' (2%) and Hispanics' (13%) rates. The degree of acculturation varies from group to group. Japanese Americans are probably the most acculturated of the Asian American groups.
What were some of the consequences of the internment camps?
Parents had a loss of power. Eroded away family values. A lot of farms were gone.
The concept of primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings (compare to ultimogeniture). Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females.
What were some push and pull factors for Puerto Rican immigration?
Puerto Rico became a territory of US after defeat of Spain (1898) / Puerto Ricans are not clearly part of either voluntary immigration or conquest Population growth in the US (push/pull factors): Puerto Ricans became citizens of the US in 1917 / transportation Unemployment was a major problem on the island Labor shortages in the US / Economic situation in Puerto Rico
What were some push and pull factors for Cuban immigration?
Push / Pull Factors (Cubans v. Mexicans) / Marxist revolution - Fidel Castro (1950s)
What were some push and pull factors for Chinese immigration?
Push: Colonization Pull: Gold Rush (1849) Transcontinental Railroad (1860s)
Irish American experience (push and pull factors)
Push: Famine that came to Ireland in the 1940s (potato blight caused a massive failure of that crop) Pull: Land of opportunity.
stratification and discrimination in workplace (Mexicans)
Sanctions for employers who hire undocumented aliens / screening welfare recipients for status
Middleman Minority Thesis
Some minorities occupy an intermediate rather than low-status position. Based on the idea that sojourning is necessary ingredient: Sojourners work hard and are thrifty in order to amass capital Sojourners take risks in hope of great gain Sojourners concentrate their funds in lines of work that permit easy liquidation
What are some cultural similarities/attributes among Asians?
Stresses group membership over individual self-interest Loyalty to group, conformity to societal expectations, and respect for one's superiors Stresses sensitivity to the opinions and judgments of others Avoiding public embarrassment / Saving face Patriarchal (i.e., dominant male / subordinate female)
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Suspension of chinese immigration for fear they were driving down wages for whites. By 1902, Chinese immigration banned completely. Became eligible for citizenship in 1943.
symbolic ethnicity
Symbolic ethnicity is ethnicity and cultural practices taken out of there original setting and displayed for everyone as a representation of what that ethnic group was or still is, such as a German-fest or Ethnic folk fair where ethnic groups celebrate: food, dances, customs, and clothing and allow the public to participate and join in.
The invention of the white race
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the emergence of the 'White race' as a deliberately constructed social group in the US. White Anglo-Protestant elite [THE DOMINANT GROUP] developed and circulated the idea of an advantaged 'White race,' in order to provide racial privileges for propertyless British and other European American immigrants and prevent the latter from bonding with racial minorities. At first, people of Irish and Italian descent did not define themselves as 'White,' but eventually they took on that status as moved up politically and economically in the US
the Mexican movement in the 1960s
The Chicano Movement: Intense activism and militancy. Demanded justice, fairness, and equal rights.
Cycle of Race Relations (Mexicans)
The Cycle of Race Relations: Contact Competition Accommodation Eventual Assimilation
Emergency Quota Act
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 (established a quota for many countries denied a quota for Japan
The functionalist view of the Asian American Experiences
The Functionalist View - The Chinese who came in the 19th century fulfilled important economic needs. - Though racial antagonism existed earlier, economic hard times in the 1870s made the situation worse. - Economic dysfunctions set off intensified labor antagonism, leading to immigration restriction Chinatowns promoted solidarity and offered a social network for interaction in a hostile white society. - The Japanese, Korean, and Filipino farm laborers helped agriculture expand and 4 prosper. Dysfunctions triggered negative actions against these 2 groups. - Cultural traditions and family cohesiveness have been positive functions easing the adjustment into U.S. societ
1965 Immigration Act & Mexican Immigrants
The Immigration Act of 1965 ushered in a new era of Mexican immigration. Under the National Origins Act of 1924 no limits had been placed on annual immigration from the Western Hemisphere. The 1965 Act, however, imposed a numerical limit upon immigrants allowed to enter the United States from the western hemisphere (South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada). Only 120,000 persons from the western hemisphere were allowed to legally immigrate to the United States per year. An important exception to the new numerical limits, the spouse, unmarried children and parents of United States citizens could immigrate to the United States regardless of the numerical limit. Thus, for the first time in U.S. history, limits were placed on the annual number of Mexicans who could legally immigrate to the United States. Shortly after the Immigration Act was fully implemented in 1968, a series of crises struck the Mexican economy that pressured many Mexican families to continue migrating north despite the new immigration restrictions. Hundreds of thousands of Mexican immigrants disregarded the new limits placed on legal Mexican immigration and continued the pattern of seeking short-term employment in the U.S. They waded across the RioGrande into Texas, jumped border fences in California, braved the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, or falsified immigration papers.
Repatriation
The Mexican Repatriation refers to a mass migration that took place between 1929 and 1939, when as many as 500,000 people of Mexican descent were forced or pressured to leave the US.
Protestant Ethic
The Protestant work ethic (or the Puritan work ethic) is a concept in sociology, economics and history, attributable to the work of Max Weber. It is based upon the notion that the Calvinist emphasis on the necessity for hard work as a component of a person's calling and worldly success is a visible sign or result (not a cause) of personal salvation.
The Japanese Internment Experience (what event served as the catalyst?
The aerial attack on Pearl Harbor led to a declaration of war against Japan (1941
Cultural Assimilations (Asians)
The degree of acculturation varies from group to group. Japanese Americans are probably the most acculturated of the Asian American groups.
What does miscegenation mean?
The interbreeding of people of different racial types.
the tactics used by the dominant group to maintain dominance
The large majority of English-speaking citizens controlled public policies in (CONTROLLED ALL SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS): From the beginning, the expectation was that subsequent groups (i.e, immigrants, conquered, or enslaved) would conform to the core culture (ANGLO CONFORMITY MODEL)
What are some characteristics of second generation Chinese Americans?
The second generation was much more influenced by the larger culture They looked beyond the enclaves to fill their needs Educational and occupational pursuits
What is social Darwinism?
The view that groups become socially dominant because they have been more successful than their competitors in the struggle to survive and, therefore, are biologically the "fittest."
What are some reasons for treating or studying white ethnic groups as minority groups?
They have not completely vanished Traditional prejudices against them still persist Each group has a unique assimilation history White ethnic groups provide a partial explanation for current situation of other groups Use baseline experience of White ethnic groups to test theories and concepts
Secondary Assimilations (Mexicans)
Three major groups of Hispanics/Latinos lag behind Whites in income, occupation, education, and political power.
Immigration Reform and Control Act
To control tide of illegal immigrants, US allowed illegal immigrants who had been in the country continuously since 1982 to legalize their status (3 million people)
Unlike African Americans, why were Mexican Americans able to maintain their culture?
Unlike African Americans, Hispanic Americans were not stripped of their native cultures on entering society.
the cultural viewpoint for explaining minority group success
Value Compatibility: Significant compatibility between value system in country of origin and value system of American middle class culture Family and Community Cohesion: The transmission of traditional values was accomplished by the entire community
The pattern of Mexican immigration
WWI : Increase -> Great Depression: Repatriation, Decreases -> WWII: Bracero Program, Increase. Operation Wetback, Decrease. -> 1965 Immigration Act: Increase, Immigration Reform and Control Act, Increase.
What are whiteness studies?
Whiteness studies are scholarly examinations of the issues surrounding white privilege as well as a look into the role of whiteness and white culture play in an increasingly multicultural society (e.g., what it means to be white in today's society, how 'whiteness' affects race relations and multiculturalism)
Picture-Bride-Invasion
Women were posting their pictures online for men. Men in America would "order" brides from Japan.
WWII & Mexican Immigration
World War II begins (1941) Employers turn to Mexico for labor Bracero Program (contract laborers) Split labor market (contract laborers v. undocumented workers) Operation Wetback (1950s) initiated to deport undocumented and illegal immigrants / more than 4 million Mexicans deported
Bracero Program
contract laborers
How can one deconstruct the Model Minority Myth??
[Income] A high percentage of urbanization (higher cost of living) among Asians. Compare family income of people who live in the same city. Example: Los Angeles: $42,726 (whites) / $33,445 (Asians) San Francisco: $47,547 (whites) / $38,294 (Asians) Asian families tend to have more workers in the household Example: 21.3% of Vietnamese families have 3 or more workers in the family than compared to whites (13.4%) More accurate measure would be per capita income. Example: $13,420 (Asians) / $15,270 (whites) [OCCUPATION / EDUCATION:] -Despite high levels of education, studies show that Asians have a hard time getting jobs that match their level of education (often overqualified or under-utilize their education). -When lumped together, statistics give distorted picture. Education attainment varies by Asian ethnic group. [Masking Diversity]
Zoot Suit Riots
lazy, unclean, treacherous, and sneaky Being undocumented aliens Culture of poverty Belonging to youth gangs
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
residents had the choice of remaining or moving to Mexico (assured their legal rights and their language and cultural heritage would be protected)
