Are you aware of the ongoing problem of racism in the United States, particularly as it relates to immigrants?
14% of immigrants in the United States live below the poverty line, compared to 13% of native-born Americans. This means that an immigrant family's income is below the official poverty threshold of $27,500 for a family of four with two children. Immigrants in the United States face higher rates of poverty than native-born Americans, even after controlling for factors such as education and work experience. This is due in part to racism and discrimination, which can make it difficult for immigrants to find good-paying jobs, access housing and healthcare, and participate fully in society. But this is just the beginning of the problem. Immigrants often get stuck at the bottom of the economic ladder, held back by systemic racism and xenophobia. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings of White employed persons were $72,705 in 2021, while the median annual earnings of Black employed persons were $51,941. Even though many immigrants may not see themselves represented in this binary racialized pay differential, People of Color in the United States may face similar prejudices and consequences. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also states that the median annual earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers in 2021 was $45,760, compared to $55,270 for native-born workers. This means that there is a median difference of $9,510 between the salaries of immigrants and native-born workers. It's time to recognize these injustices and take action to create a more equitable system for all.
How can you take action? Let's learn about the history of racism in the United States.
In the 1970s, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing wrote in her controversial, but groundbreaking book, "The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors" that a large majority, about three-quarters of the global population are non-White and many of these individuals, from various backgrounds, are often controlled in some way, either directly or indirectly, by a very small group of people who consider themselves White. This situation makes racism a critical issue on a global scale.
Racism, the unfair treatment of people based on their race, is arguably one of the most important problem in the world today. It affects the lives of millions worldwide, and it's something that social and behavioral scientists, as well as all researchers, should be working to understand better.
Racism is rooted in hate, and its repercussions have a profound impact on the lives of People of Color. It permeates various aspects, ranging from their interpersonal relationships to the structures meant to provide them with support and protection. Addressing and eliminating this deeply ingrained issue requires ongoing effort. It is essential to differentiate between individual racism, which is based on personal biases and discriminatory actions, and institutional racism, which operates within societal systems and organizations. Institutional racism refers to the policies, practices, and structures that perpetuate racial inequalities, often unintentionally, but with significant consequences.
For instance, institutional racism can be observed in hiring practices that systematically disadvantage People of Color, preventing them from accessing equal employment opportunities. It can also manifest in character assessments that disproportionately criminalize and stigmatize individuals based on their race. Additionally, institutional racism can be seen in the unequal and biased administration of punishments within the criminal justice system, where People of Color often face harsher sentences compared to their White counterparts for similar offenses.
These examples highlight the urgent need to address the deeply-rooted injustices inherent in institutional and individual racism. By recognizing and challenging discriminatory policies and practices, we can strive to create a more equitable and just society for all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
People of Color often encounter systemic barriers to education, jobs, housing, and healthcare, which can perpetuate inequality and limit their opportunities. It is also important to understand that upon arriving in the US, many immigrants of color often face housing discrimination and are pushed into predominantly Black, segregated, and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is a direct result of redlining, a practice from the 1950s and 1960s where Black Americans were systematically denied home mortgage loans based on their race. Redlining perpetuated segregation and prevented Black Americans from accessing better opportunities and living conditions. Watch this video for a brief history of redlining and its ongoing impacts.
Although some immigrants cannot vote because of their immigration status, when they become naturalized citizens they will vote and so will their children and family members which impacts generations. Gerrymandering, another discriminatory practice, refers to the deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to gain a political advantage for a particular party or group. It involves drawing district lines in a way that favors one political party over another, often with the aim of diluting the voting power of certain communities or ensuring the dominance of a specific political ideology. For example, consider a hypothetical state with a diverse population where communities of color predominantly support a particular political party. In an act of gerrymandering, the state's district lines may be redrawn strategically to divide these communities into multiple districts, diluting their collective voting power. By dispersing their votes across several districts, the influence of these communities is diminished, and their preferred candidates are less likely to secure electoral victories. This manipulation of district boundaries undermines the principle of fair representation and perpetuates inequality by suppressing the voices and voting strength of communities of color. Such practices underscore the deeply rooted nature of institutional racism in the United States. Gerrymandering is an example of how systemic biases can be perpetuated through political processes, ultimately disenfranchising communities of color and reinforcing existing inequalities. To build a more just and equitable society, it is imperative to confront and dismantle these systemic issues, ensuring that electoral boundaries are drawn fairly and without any discriminatory intent.
Watch this video here to better understand how systemic racism affects People of Color's lives in the United States.
How can you confront the harsh realities of working and living in the United States? Reflect on these case stories.
It is also important to understand that upon arriving in the US, many immigrants of color often face housing discrimination and are pushed into predominantly Black, segregated, and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is a direct result of redlining, a practice from the 1950s and 1960s where Black Americans were systematically denied home mortgage loans based on their race. Redlining perpetuated segregation and prevented Black Americans from accessing better opportunities and living conditions. Watch this video for a brief history of redlining and its ongoing impacts and read Lorraine Hansberry's powerful story "A Raisin in the Sun."
Racism, both systemic and individual, persists in the United States, as seen by George Floyd's brutal public murder and Breonna Taylor's house invasion and murder in 2020. Another example is Adonis Tuggle's violent arrest at Purdue University in 2022.
In April of 2022, Patrick Lyoya [Li-O-Ya], a Congolese immigrant, was brutally murdered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by a White police officer, named Officer Christopher Schurr, in yet another horrible act of public murder. Officer Schurr, who is supposed to protect and serve, shot this Black immigrant man in the back of the head during a traffic stop! Patrick was murdered by this White police officer because of his race and the officer's belief that Patrick did not belong in the United States. The Officer Schurr had the opportunity and the weapon to murder Patrick in broad daylight, and he took advantage of it. Following the murder, Officer Schurr was placed on PAID administrative leave while the investigation was carried out. After the investigation was complete, the Officer Schurr was fired and charged for second degree murder.
In November 2022, Daniel Sanchez, an officer in Austin, Texas, shot and killed Raj Moonesinghe [Moon-sin-gi], a 33-year-old South Asian man who was in his own home in a wealthy neighborhood. It is really important to note that Black and immigrants with darker-skin color who enter the United States are racialized as "non-White" and subject to the same treatment as African Americans which includes racial profiling, negative stereotyping, and brutal force.
When many immigrants become successful in the US they buy homes in predominantly White, wealthy neighborhoods. Even though this is a sign of upward mobility, it also indicates how wealth or money is not eradicating racism, and it still remains a systemic issue. See scholar Andre Perry from the Brookings Institute and his work in this area. For instance, when Moonsinghe, who lived in a wealthy neighborhood, thought he heard an intruder in his home, he grabbed his rifle and alerted a neighbor to call 911. Another neighbor across the street was calling 911 to report that Moonsinghe appeared to be afraid of something in his home. Within minutes, local cop, Daniel Sanchez, arrived on the scene, asked Moonsinghe to lower his gun, and started shooting before Moonsinghe reacted. As officer Sanchez opened fire, Moonsinghe said, "It's not me!" and ultimately was killed. Moonsinghe did not even have a chance to say that he owned the property and that he was in his home.
Despite recent advances, racism and xenophobia continue to have major effects on immigrant freedoms, lives, and the criminal justice system in the United States, affecting individual victims, families, communities, and society as a whole.
Unveiling America's Hidden Racial History: Uncovering the Pain of Minoritized,** Racialized, and Immigrant Families
Many newcomers to the United States remain oblivious to the nation's tumultuous racial past and the profound impact racism has had on US policies and laws.
During the colonial era, the transatlantic slave trade orchestrated a heinous human trafficking operation, forcibly transporting enslaved Africans to the Western world. Driven by the insatiable demand for cheap labor to fuel the growth of global capitalism, millions of Africans were torn from their homes and shipped across the treacherous Atlantic Ocean. They were then coerced into backbreaking labor on plantations in the Americas, cultivating crops such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton that would be sold in the global market. The transatlantic slave trade not only resulted in the African diaspora, a massive forced migration of Africans from their homelands, but its legacy continues to reverberate through the lives of descendants of enslaved Africans, particularly within the United States.
For a deeper understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the multiple migrations of Africans to and within the United States, we recommend exploring the works of Dr. John Arthur, including "Invisible Sojourners: African Immigrant Diaspora in the United States," and Dr. Ira Berlin's groundbreaking book, "The Making of African America: The Four Great Migrations." These invaluable resources shed light on the profound impact of these historical events on the fabric of American society.
Similarly, the lesser-known experiences of Asians and South Asians, alongside African descendants, were brought, mainly by the British, to the Americas, West and East Africa, and Europe as endangered servants, facing systemic oppression. Their stories resonate particularly in the contexts of Uganda and Sri Lanka. In Uganda, individuals of South Asian descent, primarily of Indian origin, were brought by the British to work on various infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Uganda Railway. They were promised short-term economic opportunities but were subsequently trapped in a cycle of indentured labor and faced harsh working conditions. Ultimately their presence of living and working in Uganda led to significant tensions between the Asian community and the local Black African population, eventually culminating in the expulsion of Asians under Idi Amin's regime in the 1970s. Watch the movie Mississipppi Masala (1991) about an Indian family ousted from their home in Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, and relocating to Mississippi to start a new life.
In Sri Lanka, during the era of British colonialism, Tamil laborers from South India were brought to work on coffee and tea plantations. These workers, known as "coolies," endured exploitative practices and were subjected to deplorable living conditions. Their presence in Sri Lanka not only created a stark divide between the Tamil laborers and the Sinhalese majority but also contributed to social and economic imbalances that persist to this day. Check out the war music Tamil language movie Kannathil Muthamittal (2003) which illustrates the impact of colonization on Sinhalese and Tamilians in Sri Lanka through a young child.
The experiences of Asians and South Asians in Uganda and Sri Lanka exemplify the deceptive nature of their recruitment, the hardships they faced as endangered servants, and the lasting consequences of their presence in these regions. These stories serve as a reminder of the complex and intertwined history of exploitation and systemic oppression that shaped the lives of diverse communities affected by British colonialism.
Exploring these specific historical contexts provides insights into the struggles endured by individuals of Asian and South Asian descent, shedding light on the broader narrative of indentured labor and the profound impact it had on the social fabric of these countries.
Since then, various immigrant groups have also come to the US and have made it their home. However, it is important to note that these immigrant groups are often unaware of the US history of slavery, racism, and oppression towards people of color, particularly those of darker skin. This history is a crucial aspect of understanding the current social and economic disparities that people of color face in the United States.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), is another example of racism in the US. The KKK began as a fraternal organization in the early 1870s in Pulaski, Tennessee, by six college students. The KKK was a social club that promoted white supremacy. Its members disguised themselves as "nightriders," using the symbol of the flying cross (which represents white supremacy) to intimidate and murder Black people while participating in parades and other public events. Although the Klan was not officially endorsed by any political party, some of its members were elected to local offices, and in many areas, it did have the support of both major parties. The KKK was also responsible for several violent attacks against African Americans and their property during the early 20th century, including bombings and shootings such as the Tulsa Massacre in 1921. The KKK has played and continues to play a significant role in the disenfranchisement of Black people and immigrants of all backgrounds living in the United States. Learn more about the KKK on the history channel and the book by Professor Linda Gordon The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition.
As another example of America's troubled racial history, many southern states passed laws in the late 1800s that separated schools by race, including Black, Native American, and White people. From 1865 through 1965, Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in southern states. This meant that Black and Brown children were not permitted to attend the same school, drink from the same water fountains, or use the same restrooms as White children. It is also important to remember that the books and materials in black and brown schools were often of lower quality than those in white schools. In 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court said that these kinds of laws were against the Constitution. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court said that all public schools had to stop being segregated. This led to a series of court decisions that said southern state schools had to be integrated. However, when Black students and their families tried to integrate into white schools, they were met with brutal violence. As an example, after the 1954 decision, a White mob in Mississippi killed two Black students who tried to go to an all-white school on a church school bus. These are only a few examples of how racism is rooted in our country's laws and practices, and how it is systemically maintained by the people and groups who create the laws. To learn more about the history of racism in education and policies in the United States, see books by Dr. James D. Anderson, Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935, Ronald Takaki 's A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America, and Howard Zinn's People’s History of the United States.
Many immigrants in the United States face daily prejudice and xenophobia, making it difficult for them to achieve their American dreams. For example, the "model minority" stereotype, applied to Asian and African immigrants, also ignores the diversity of the immigrant community and the reasons they immigrated to the United States. The US economy benefits from attracting immigrants for education and employment, but racial global capitalism often leads to discrimination and disadvantage for certain groups. Structural and policy changes are needed to address the systemic imbalances that allow these issues to persist.
The lack of critical consciousness about America's racist past has consequences for immigrant families, including limited English skills, unemployment and low-employment, a lack of health insurance, and higher rates of medical conditions. Traditional knowledge of immigrants is often lost during migration, leading to strained family relationships and a loss of identity.
In order to address and eliminate racism in the United States, it is important to recognize the history and ongoing impact of racism and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society. By using critical race theory to resist racism in education, we can encourage critical consciousness among students, parents, educators, and policymakers.
Now that you have a general historical understanding of racism in the United States, get ready to learn the critical tools that you and your family can use to combat racism in the second part of our two-part blog series! We will be providing actionable steps for you to fight racism.
**Minoritized refers to individuals or groups who have been historically and systematically marginalized or oppressed in society based on their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, or other identities. It recognizes that some groups have faced unequal treatment and lack access to resources and opportunities due to social, economic, and political structures. Critical Race Theory emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing these power dynamics in order to create a more equitable society.
Additional References:
Awokoya, J.T. (2004).Of my color, but not of my kind: The racial and ethnic identity negotiations of 1.5 and 2.0 Nigerian immigrants. Master's Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park.
Lynn, M. (2006). Race, culture, and the education of African-Americans 107–119 in Educational Theory, Volume 58(1).
Srikantaiah, D. (2008). Indigenous Knowledge Initiatives at the World Bank, the National Institutes of Health, and Pennsylvania State University. Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park.
Ku Klux Klan: A History of Racism. (2011, March 1). Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.splcenter.org/20110228/ku-klux-klan-history-racism
The University of Washington (2014, January 17). Moments of Truth with Host Marcia Alvar.
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