Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration

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Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration

• SOC 101 Social Problems
• Chapter Nine
• Instructor Peggy Roberts

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9-11Backlash U.S.

• United States- Prejudice and discrimination
  against individuals who are (or who are perceived
  to be) Muslim or Middle Eastern
• Target- Minority Groups-people who have unequal
  access to positions of power, prestige, and
  wealth in society and who tend to be targets of
  prejudice and discrimination
• Minority status is not based on numerical
  representation in society but rather on social
  status

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Diversity Worldwide

• Classification by external appearance
• Why?

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The Social Construction of Race

• Race- people who are believed to share distinct
  physical characteristics that are deemed socially
  significant
• Can You Name A Few?

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The Social Construction of Race

• Racial groups are sometimes distinguished on the
  basis of such physical characteristics as skin
  color, hair texture, facial features, and body
  shape and size.

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The Social Construction of Race

• Science of genetics challenges the notion of race
• Geneticists have discovered that the genes of any
  two unrelated persons, chosen at random from
  around the world, are 99.9 alike
• Most human genetic variations approximately 85
  - can be found between any two individuals from
  the same group (racial, ethnic, religious..)

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• When two or more racial or ethnic groups come
  into contact, one of several patterns of
  interaction occurs-
• Genocide, Expulsion or Population Transfer,
  Colonialism, Segregation, Acculturation,
  Pluralism, Assimilation, And Amalgamation

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Genocide- the deliberate, systematic annihilation
  of an entire nation of people
• 20th Century Hitler led the Nazi extermination of
  12 Million people, including 6 Million Jews
  (Holocaust)
• 1994 Hutus slaughtered hundreds of thousands of
  Tutsis (Tutsis was called cockroaches by the
  Hutus) in Rwanda, Africa

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Expulsion or Population transfer- when a dominant
  group forces a sub-ordinate group to leave the
  country or to live only in designated areas of
  the country
• U.S. - Trail of Tears 1830 Indian Removal Act
  relocation of eastern tribes to land west of the
  Mississippi River
• Pearl Harbor in 1941 Japanese American
  evacuation camps surrounded by barbed wire
  experienced economic and psychological devastation

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Colonialism- when a racial or ethnic group from
  one society takes over and dominates the racial
  or ethnic group(s) of another society
• European invasion of North America British
  occupation of India the Dutch presence in South
  Africa before the end of apartheid

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Segregation- the physical separation of two
  groups in residence, workplace, and social
  functions
• de jure (by law)
• de facto ( in fact)
• 1890-1910 Separate blacks from whites by
  prohibiting blacks from using white buses,
  hotels, restaurants, and drinking fountains

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Acculturation- adopting the culture of a group
  different from the one in which a person was
  originally raised.
• Involves learning the dominant language, adopting
  new values and behaviors, and changing the
  spelling of the family name
• California decision to discontinue bilingual
  education and forces students to learn English in
  school

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Pluralism- A state in which racial and ethnic
  groups maintain their distinctness but respect
  each other and have equal access to social
  resources
• Switzerland- four ethnic groups- French,
  Italians, Germans, and Swiss Germans- maintain
  their distinct cultural heritage and group
  identity in an atmosphere of mutual respect and
  social equality

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Assimilation process by which formerly distinct
  and separate groups merge and become integrated
  as one.
• Melting Pot creating a new common culture-
  United States
• Secondary Assimilation- when different groups
  become integrated in public areas and in social
  institutions, such as neighborhoods, schools, the
  workplace and in government

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Primary Assimilation- occurs when members of
  different groups are integrated in personal,
  intimate associations, as with friends, family,
  and spouses

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Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Group Interaction

• Amalgamation (Marital Assimilation)- when
  different ethnic or racial groups become married
  or pair-bonded and produce children
• Interracial marriages are more common today than
  in previous generations, although less than 5 of
  U.S. married couples in 2007 were interracial

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Racial Diversity in United States

• 1790 U.S. Census population into four groups-
  1. free white males, 2. free white females, 3.
  slaves, and 4. other persons (including free
  blacks and Indians)
• 1990 U.S. Census- population into five
  groups-1. white 2. black or African American 3.
  American Indian or Alaska Native (Aleut or Eskimo
  ) 4. Asian and 5. Native Hawaiian or Pacific
  Islander

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Racial Diversity in United States

• Mixed-Race Identity- About 4.5 of U.S.
  male-female married couples and 10 of unmarried
  couples are interracial
• New Census option for identifying as mixed race
  to avoid putting children of mixed-race parents
  in difficult position of choosing the race of one
  parent over the other when filling out data on
  school forms and other forms

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Ethnic Diversity in United States

• Ethnicity- a shared cultural heritage or
  nationality
• Distinguished on the basis of language, forms of
  family structures and roles of family members,
  religious beliefs and practices, dietary customs,
  forms of artistic expression such as music and
  dance, and national origin

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Ethnic Diversity in United States

• The largest ethnic population in the United
  States is of Hispanic origin
• More than one in eight (13.3) people in the U.S.
  are Hispanic or Latino and two-thirds (66.9) of
  all U.S. Hispanics or Latinos are of Mexican
  Origin

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Immigrants in United States History

• 1917 The Immigration Act- required all
  immigrants to pass a literacy test before
  entering the U.S.
• 1921 Johnson Act introduced a limit on the
  number of immigrants who could enter the country
  in a single year with stricter limitations for
  certain countries (Africa and Near East)

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Immigrants in United States History

• 1924- Immigration Act further limited the number
  of immigrants allowed into the U.S. and
  completely excluded the Japanese
• 1943- Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act
• 1948 Displaced Persons Act which permitted
  refugees from Europe

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Immigrants in United States History

• 1952- Immigration and Naturalization Act which
  permitted a quota of Japanese immigrants
• 1960s most immigrants were from Europe, but today
  most immigrants are from Central America
  (predominantly Mexico) or Asia
• 2007- More than 1 in 10 U.S. residents (11.7)
  were born in a foreign country

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Immigrants in United States Challenges and
Achievements

• Immigrants are less likely than U.S. natives to
  graduate from high school
• The percentage of foreign-born residents (27.3)
  with a bachelors degrees or more education is
  nearly equivalent to that of native-born (27.2)
  population
• Why?

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Immigrants in United States Challenges and
Achievements

• Compared to the Native-born U.S. population,
  immigrants are more likely to be unemployed and
  to live in poverty
• Almost 43 of immigrants work at jobs that pay
  less than 7.50 an hour, compared to 28 of all
  workers in the U.S.

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Immigrants in United States Challenges and
Achievements

• Low-income immigrants are less likely than
  low-income natives to use benefits such as
  Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
  (TANF), and food stamps
• Noncitizen immigrants are ineligible for federal
  public benefit programs
• State Funded Service- one time only 1500

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Illegal Immigration

• 9.3 million undocumented immigrants in the United
  States
• One-fourth of the total foreign-born population
• More than half of undocumented immigrants (57)
  are Mexicans

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Undocumented Immigrants in the Workforce

• Estimated 5 of U.S. workers are undocumented
  immigrants
• Virtually all undocumented men are in the labor
  force
• 62 of undocumented women are less likely to be
  in the labor force because they are more likely
  to be a stay-at-home mom

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Undocumented Immigrants in the Workforce

• Undocumented workers often do work that U.S.
  worker are unwilling to do
• Workers routinely work 60 or more hours per week
  and earn less than the minimum wage of 5.15 per
  hour
• They are not paid overtime and have no benefits

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Undocumented Immigrants in the Workforce Wal-Mart

• Wal-Mart- hired undocumented immigrants to clean
  their stores- they worked 7 nights a week, 364
  days a year, and were often locked in stores
• In 2005 Wal-Mart agreed to pay a record 11
  Million to settle charges that it used hundreds
  of illegal immigrants to clean its stores

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Undocumented Immigrants in the Workforce

• 1986 Congress approved the Immigration Reform and
  Control Act which made hiring illegal
  immigrants an illegal act punishable by fines and
  even prison sentences
• This Act also prohibits employers from
  discriminating against legal immigrants who are
  not U.S. citizens

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Becoming a U.S. Citizen

• To become a U.S. citizen, immigrants must have
  been lawfully admitted for permanent residence
• Have resided continuously as a lawful permanent
  U.S. resident for at least five years
• Must be able to read, write, speak, and
  understand basic English
• Must show that they have good moral character

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Becoming a U.S. Citizen

• Applicants who have been convicted of murder or
  an aggravated felony are permanently denied U.S.
  citizenship
• They are also denied if, in the last five years,
  they have engaged in any one of a variety of
  offenses, including prostitution, illegal
  gambling, controlled substance law violation,
  habitual drunkenness, willful failure or refusal
  to support dependents, and criminal behavior
  involving moral turpitude

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Becoming a U.S. Citizen

• Naturalized Citizen- immigrants who applied and
  met the requirements for U.S. citizenship

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Prejudice and Racism

• Prejudice and Racism starts at HOME - we are not
  born to hate
• Attitudes shape and control who we are
• Stop the cycle- Only you can!!!