Chapter 13 Vietnamese Americans Arab Americans and Resurgent

Chapter 13: Vietnamese Americans, Arab Americans, and Resurgent Racism n Vietnamese American Immigrants to the U. S. n The Vietnam War lasted thirty years from 1945 to 1975 (France, British, & U. S. ) n The U. S. helped establish South Vietnam. The war spread to include Cambodia and Laos n U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended in 1975

n n Locals were under attack by North Vietcong and Vietminh while Pol Pot became a butcher of his own people. This contributed to many displaced civilians who launched boats out to sea About 197, 000 of these “boat people” came to the U. S. by 1981 By 1992, about 1 million Southeast Asian refugees had settled in the U. S. Many came through refugee camps and dispersed throughout the U. S.

Vietnamese American Assimilation in the U. S. n n n Contributing to Vietnamese immigrants’ adjustment problem was the federal government’s policy of scattering the refugees throughout the U. S. Most learned to read, speak, or write English well Education levels are moderate Performance test scores are high Secondary assimilation should be quite rapid for second-generation Vietnamese

n n n Many new immigrants rapidly entered the labor force in the U. S. Vietnamese have lower labor force participation, and median family incomes, higher poverty and unemployment rates, and disproportionate representation in low-skill, low-paying jobs, than most East Asian groups Vietnamese are highly segregated, undergoing rapid cultural assimilation, with high rates of naturalization and relatively low primary and marital assimilation

Other Southeast Asians n Of the approximately 1 million Indochinese Americans identified by the 2000 census q q 24% were from Laos 15% were from Cambodia (Kampuchea) 61% were from Vietnam 111, 000 were from Thailand (formerly Siam)

Arab American Immigrants to the U. S. n n n Arab is a broad term covering people of diverse nationalities, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds North Africa and the Middle East have 200 million Arabs who speak Arabic and worship according to Islam European contact with the Arab world transpired through commerce and conflict

n n n Christian influence came with military and economic influence from Europe and the U. S. Early immigrants were mostly men Naturalization began as early as the 1880 s because Syrians were of Caucasian type and Christians They assimilated easily with little discrimination Early immigrants to the U. S. were often called “Syrians” and came to view themselves as “Syrian Americans” Early immigrants were from Mount Lebanon, poor, Christian, and rural

n n The Syrian-Lebanese A combination of harsh living conditions and Turkish oppression led many Syrians to leave Newly arrived Syrians often replaced departing Irish Americans residents in old city neighborhoods in a pattern of invasionsuccession Syrian Americans achieved economic security quickly

n n n Second immigrants were from many countries, well-educated, Muslims, and urban The third immigration stream saw a major increase in immigrants from the Arab world Those in the third, like the second stream, tend to be highly educated and from many diverse countries

n n n The Palestinians About 100, 000 Palestinians Americans now live in the U. S. Many recent Palestinian arrivals find employment in various working class trades For middle-class Palestinians, the community’s mosques and churches serve many purposes Endogamy remains the norm among Palestinian Americans

Arab American Assimilation in the U. S. n n n Official counts of Arab Americans range up to 3 million Cultural assimilation appears to be higher among native-born Secondary assimilation is high Median household incomes are high Occupational status is high

n n n Arab American National Organizations in the U. S. Association of Arab-American University Graduates National Association of Arab Americans American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Arab American Institute

Resurgent Racism in the U. S. n n The Southern Poverty Law Center identified 700 active hate groups in the U. S. Neo-Nazis KKKs Support white supremacy, are antiimmigration, and are anti-minorities

Slide 12: Anti-Islamic Acts of Hate Crime in the U. S. 1995– 2002 1996 1995 1998 1997 2000 1999 2001 2002 Source: Fbi. gov/ucr. htm#hate for years 1995– 2002, Table 1 retrieved June 8, 2004.

Why does racism continue and even get worse? n n Perceived threats by native-born of increased non-European immigrants, which led to increased xenophobia Post September 11, 2001 attack reactions Perhaps transference of anti-communism hate to Muslims Perceived threats from terrorism and difficulty in identifying terrorists

Racism is Not Universal Among Those Living in the U. S. n n n President George W. Bush and FBI Director Mueller called for an awareness of the issues after September 11, 2001 Groups organized to show solidarity in various cities across the U. S. Individuals reached out to show tolerance, solidarity, and support for people of different walks of life