ASIAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The following information is included:
Definition of Asian-Americans.
Discussion of Origins of the Asian-Americans.
Discussion of the Historical Perspective of the Asian-Americans.
Discussion of Contemporary Asian-American Issues.
Discussion of the Social Structure of Asian-Americans.
Discussion of Values and Backgrounds Affecting Asian-Americans.
Discussion of Asian-Americans in the U.S. Military.
Asians are the largest population group on the face of the earth. Almost all countries are involved in some type of trade with Asians countries. All of us are involved in Asian trade in some form or another. Furthermore, we have a tremendous number of military personnel stationed in Asian countries and a significant number of military personnel with Asian born spouses.
Many people think of Asian-Americans as one single homogeneous group. Actually they are one of the most diverse groups. As described in DoD Directive 1350.2, an Asian or Pacific Islander is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa.
In 1970, there were 1.5 million Asian-Americans living in the United States. By 1980, there were 3.7 million. By 1990 there were 7.2 million, representing almost a 100 percent increase in just the last twenty years.
This rapid increase has made Asian-Americans the fastest growing segment of our population. Demographic experts predict that this growth will continue at an even greater rate throughout the 1990-s and into the 21st century. However, then, as now, Asian-Americans will still comprise less of the total population than will Hispanics and African-Americans.
In 1990, Asian-Americans were the largest population group in Hawaii, where they were 63% of the population. The five largest groups of the Asian population in the United States are: Chinese (1.7 million), Filipino (1.5 million), Japanese (850,000), and Korean (800,000).
The Chinese and the Japanese were the first group of Asians to come to the U.S. What happened to them set the stage for other groups that followed.
The major influx of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. took place during the period 1840 to 1882. Most of the those who immigrated to the U.S. did so because of the turmoil ongoing in China. They were primarily poor people, not very well educated, and had few professional skills. In most cases, they hoped to earn money for them to take back with them when they returned to their country. The work they received during this period was primarily in agricultural. Since this type of work was very labor intensive, there was a constant need for laborers. There was also a need for laborers in building the cross continental railroad.
Most Chinese came to the U.S. voluntarily to work and paid their own way. They also brought with them the tools they had used in China for years. One of the tools was called the sluice. It is the long inclined trough used for separating gold ore. When gold was discovered in 1848 at Sutters Mill in California, the sluice was introduced and used.
A large percentage of individual groups that immigrated to the U.S. eventually returned to their native country. Approximately 55 percent of the Asians who came to the U.S. did not stay.
The Japanese started coming to the U.S. in the 1860s and brought with them extensive experience in agriculture.
Filipinos, as a result of the Treaty of Paris in 1898 and ratified in 1889, provided U.S. national status to Filipinos. In the U.S., national status does not carry the same rights and privileges of citizenship, but does allow the Filipinos to enter and leave the U.S. without restriction. Filipinos came to Hawaii and California for farming. During this time there was a lot of poverty in Philippines.
Koreans began coming to the U.S. in 1901. During this time, Korea was under the control of Japan. There were only approximately 7200 Koreans in the U.S. until the late 1960s. However, Koreans are now the third largest source of immigration in the U.S. today.
Asian-Americans have contributed significantly to this nation. They built the cross continental railroad in a time of little mechanization e.g., horse drawn labor, through adverse weather conditions. 12,000 of the 14,000 workers on the central pacific railroad were Chinese. So they built the railroad that joined the east and the west.
Another contribution is that they converted the swamps of the San Quaquin valley in California into some of the most fertile farmland on the face of the earth today. They built dikes, and drained the water by using their extensive knowledge of agriculture.
They not only had extensive knowledge of agriculture, but aquaculture as well. They helped farm and mine the sea as well. There was a Chinese cannery built in San Francisco in the 1860s. And finally they helped build the pineapple and sugar cane plantations in Hawaii.
One of the things you need to understand about Asians is that they came and they succeeded. However, their success or ability to remain in the U.S. was not easy. There were many laws and regulations that were enacted to restrict or limit their immigration and even prohibited their citizenship.
In 1852, California passed a Foreign Miners Tax. They passed this legislation to tax all foreigners who were involved in mining. As one of the reasons the Chinese came to the U.S. were to work in gold mines, it directly affected them. Initially, each Chinese was required to pay a tax of three dollars a month, which was a majority of their monthly earnings.
In 1853 the tax was raised to $4 a month. Tax collectors who got to keep a percentage of the tax were authorized to seize and sell property on one hour’s notice for failure to pay tax. This caused even more hardships on the Chinese since the laws were not even printed in Chinese until 1855. Furthermore, there was a law in California that prevented the Chinese, along with Negroes, Indians and mulattos from testifying in court.
The next important piece of legislation was the Naturalization Act of 1870. This was the first national legislation that impacted on Asians. This act forbade the entry of spouses into the U.S. and it excluded the Chinese from obtaining citizenship. The legislation also applied to Jews coming from Europe and other groups.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress in 1882 was the first national legislation directed specifically towards a specific racial or ethnic group. This act specifically precluded Chinese immigration for a ten year period.
In 1892 congress passed the Geary Act. This Act continued the Chinese Exclusion Act. As a result of the Naturalization Act of 1870, the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Geary Act, the Chinese community consisted mainly of a male society. In 1854 there were 4500 Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and only 16 of them were women. This gave rise to the concept of the “mutilated family.” Whereas the husband is in the U.S. and the wife and family remain in China. This started the gradual decline of the Chinese community.
The Japanese immigrants saw what was happening to the Chinese and negotiated The Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907. This Agreement stated the Japanese agreed to voluntarily restrict immigration. Since Korea belonged to Japan during that time, it cut off Korean immigration. The Gentleman’s Agreement allowed the Japanese to set up the “picture bride’ system. This system allowed them to send pictures back and forth to Japan, get married based on the picture, and then allowed them to bring their spouse to the U.S. This created a population increase amongst the Japanese.
In 1913 the Alien Land Act was passed. This Act prevented aliens who were ineligible for citizenship from owning land in California.
Most people attain their citizenship by being born in a certain place. So if the Japanese family had a baby in the U.S., it makes the baby a U.S. citizen, based on U.S. law. So the Japanese could title their land in the names of their children, who were U.S. citizens.
As I mentioned earlier, there were very few Chinese women in the U.S. In 1922 the U.S. government passed the Cable Act. This Act says that if you are an American female and you marry a foreign male, you lose your citizenship.
The next piece of legislation that was passed was the Exclusionary Immigration Act of 1924. It is also known as the National Origins Act. It excluded all Asians from immigration. It also put immigration quotas on British, Germans and others. The Exclusionary Immigration Act did not apply to Filipinos, as they were considered U.S. nationals. This impacted on the California Fruit Growers Association as most of their Mexican laborers had to be replaced by Filipinos. This Act basically excluded the immigration of all Asians, except the Filipinos.
The U.S. passed the Tiddings-McDuffie Act in 1934 which granted common wealth status to the Philippines giving them their independence. As the Philippines became a free country, they were no longer considered U.S. nationals and became subject to immigration quotas. The quota allowed the Philippines was 50 people per year.
At this point in time we have the Chinese and Filipino communities declining and the Japanese community continuing to grow.
After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor December 7th, 1941 there was a tremendous amount of resentment towards Japanese-Americans. As a result of the bombing there was a lot of racism against Japanese-Americans.
On May 3d, 1942, the President issued Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 basically stated that all persons of Japanese ancestry living in certain parts of the country were to be interned. Over 110,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry were relocated and interned. Two-thirds of them were actually citizens of the U.S..
Executive Order 9066: “Instructions to all persons of Japanese ancestry living in the following area (It goes on to describe the areas of California, Oregon and Washington State). Pursuant to the provisions of civilian exclusion order number 34, this Headquarters dated May 3rd, 1942 all persons of Japanese ancestry both alien and non-alien (U.S. citizens) will be evacuated from the above (California, Oregon and Washington State) by 12 o’clock noon Pacific Western Time Saturday May 9th, 1942. No Japanese person living in the above area will be permitted to change residence after 12 o’clock noon Pacific Western Time, Sunday May 3rd, 1942 without obtaining special permission from the representative of the Commanding General, Northern California Secretary to Civil Control Station located at 920 C street..........”evacuees must carry with them upon departure to the assembly center the following property: bedding and linens (no mattresses) for each member of the family; toilet articles for each member of the family; extra clothing for each member of the family; sufficient knives, forks, spoons, plates, bowls and cups for each member of the family, essential personal effects for each member of the family. All items carried will be securely packaged, tied, and plainly marked with the name of the owner, numbered in accordance with the instructions obtained at the civil control station. The size and number of packages is limited to that which can be carried by the family or the family group. No pets of any kind will be permitted.....” signed J.L. DeWhit, LTG, United States Army, Commanding General, Western Defense Command, in Fourth Army
So, if a Japanese-American woke up on Sunday morning and went out to get his or her newspaper off the porch, and you saw this notice posted on the wall, you could sell your house, business, etc. as long as you could do it by noon that same Sunday. The notice was dated May 3rd, which was a Sunday.
Of special note was the fact that while the U.S. was at war with Japan, Germany, and Italy, not a single German was interned nor was a single Italian put into camps. We even interned U.S. military personnel of Japanese descent. The Japanese-Americans were interned in relocation centers located in California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Arkansas. Another interesting fact is not one Japanese person in Missouri, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Atlanta or anyplace east of the Great Plains were put into an internment camp. Only Japanese in the Western Defense Command jurisdiction. Not a single Japanese was put into an internment camp from the island of Hawaii, and over 30% of the labor force on the docks at Pearl Harbor were Americans of Japanese descent. The reason it took from December 1941 to May 1942 to decide to intern the Japanese-Americans is that in the Senate and Congress there was actual debate on whether they should be exterminated. The reason that only Japanese-Americans on the west coast were interned was the attitude of the Western Defense Command.
The internment order had the Japanese trying to sell everything they had. Other Asian groups also were often mistaken for being Japanese. Chinese store owners had put signs in their windows “Chinese Store” so as not to be mistaken for a Japanese store.
Since the Chinese were our allies, they now became the “good folks.” In 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed and a quota system was set up to allow 100 Chinese to immigrate each year. Filipinos were also allies. After W.W.II in 1946, Filipinos in the United States were allowed to petition for U.S. citizenship. This lasted until 1976.
In 1952 the Walter-McCarren Act was passed and Asians who were not born in the U.S. were eligible for naturalization. It changed the Exclusion Act to an Act that had restrictions. It wasn’t until 1965 that President Johnson signed the National Origins Act which removed from the immigration laws all of the quotas and provided entry on a first come first serve basis.
From 1975 into the 1980’s there have been over 400,000 Southeast Asian refugees enter the U.S. e.g., Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians. They came to primarily seek freedom from persecution.
Initially the perceptions of the Chinese people were positive because they would work long hours for low wages. Remember we discussed there were 12,000 Chinese laborers working on the Western Pacific railroad? When the last spike was driven in, there were suddenly 12,000 unemployed Chinese people. With such a large number of unemployed workers the labor unions viewed the Asian-Americans with resentment, fear, and as a real threat. This resulted in a number of false perceptions and stereotypes. The false perceptions and stereotypes included: atheistic heathens, opium smokers, gamblers, and gangsters.
Probably the most sinister of all Asian-American stereotypes was Dr. Fu Manchu. He had razor sharp fingernails, the flowing robes, sinister eyes, and the cruel and ruthless mind. One of the interesting views about Fu Manchu is he eventually hopped into a spaceship and became Ming the Merciless, an arch rival of Flash Gordon.
In contrast to these evil stereotypes, there was a very prominent detective on the Honolulu police department, called Charlie Chan. Although Charlie Chan had his act together he was followed around by his “number one son” who didn’t. The “number one son” became the comic relief.
In contrast to Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan we have the Chinese restaurant and the Chinese laundry where people are hard working. When you needed your shirts pressed you took them to the Chinese laundry.
Some folks see them as the “Model majority” while others see them as the “Yellow peril” showing up everywhere in the U.S.
There are some circumstances that helped create some of the myths. The immigration patterns played a part. For instance, in 1860, 6,000 Chinese came to San Francisco. In 1861 it was 12,000. In 1862 it was 30,000. San Francisco was the primary entry port where most of the Chinese entered the U.S.. When individuals visited San Francisco and returned back home or wherever, they would tell people they are invading the country. So there was a tendency for people to think there were hordes of Asians coming to shore.
The Working Man’s Party kept Asians out of the labor market. The Chinese were willing to work, but the labor unions did not want them in. Remember, the Chinese couldn’t own farms, because of the Alien Land Act, they could be miners, but remember the Foreign Miners Tax. All of these factors affected the job opportunities of the Chinese. The only market open or available to them was laundry. As a result, the Chinese opened up numerous laundry shops.
The Chinese restaurant business basically started under similar circumstances. After work the Chinese would return home, not to a wife and children, because of the of the Chinese Exclusion Act. So they formed co-ops of 10 or 12 men living together, where a couple of men would stay at home and cook the evening meal. We may refer to it as “K.P.” Later neighbors would be invited over to eat and eventually they started into the restaurant business.
By 1880, 60% of the Chinese in San Francisco were involved in the laundry or restaurant business.
The first movie starring an Asian family in the movies was a movie with Charleton Heston called “The Hawaiians.” It was the first time there was an Asian portrayal of Asians on the screen. The first Asian allowed to fight a white person was in a movie starring Steve McQueen called “The Sandpebbles”. However, Asians couldn’t win in movies. There are still movies out there such as Kung Fu starring David Carradine. So now we have the “Kung Fu” stereotype and the “gentle” and the “wise” stereotype.
Fear and reaction is still out there. There is the fear and resentment of the Chinese in San Francisco in 1878 to the fear and resentment of the Vietnamese boat people today. So you have to ask yourself ” have we come very far?”
The Chinese family structure is the “clan.” The family needs are placed above individual needs. The family, not the individual, is the nucleus of Chinese culture. They have an extended family.
The surname or family is place before the first name, because it is the most important. There is a strong respect for elders within the Chinese family.
There is a very strong male tradition in the Chinese family, because the family exists only as long as the name continues. The family name goes from father to son.
The Chinese practice Filial Piety. Filial means “towards the father”, and “Piety” means worship or reverence towards the father. Some of the characteristic of Filial Piety is that parents command the children. Children are not consulted on family matters. If the children display bad behavior it is seen as the dereliction of the parent. A child doing wrong dishonors all of the family members.
In the process of Filial Piety, as the children matures, an impression of affection by the mother lessons. It is appropriate to kiss a baby, but when the child gets older it’s very much reduced. Furthermore, the father is always detached from the child to ensure proper dignity and respect.
Filial piety among contemporary Chinese-Americans is not quite so patriarchal or formal. The depth of the traditional values varies with the amount of traditional culture contact, not with the length of time they’ve been in the United States.
The Japanese-American family is similar to the Chinese-Americans. It is very patriarchal. Filial Piety is practiced. It is male oriented where the father is the absolute authority. There is a general respect for elders. Males are the only heirs within the family. In many cases, the father-son relationship is stronger than the father-spouse relationship. To the Japanese, the family is above the individual.
The Japanese have an extended family concept. Their extended family is referred to as the “House”. The “House” is a social entity to which status, lineage and customs are attached. The needs of the house are considered first. The type of filial piety in a Japanese family are reciprocal in that the child and the parent are obligated to each other.
The first thing you need to understand about the Korean family structure is Korea has a socially stratified society. There are several distinct classes. Traditionally, there were four classes: the scholars; the technicians and administrators; the commoners; and then the base people. This traditional lasted for thousands of years.
After the Korean War in 1954, an amendment to the constitution changed the social class stratification to an economic stratification. The current stratification has three classes: people with money and influence; people with money and no influence; and people with no money and no influence. Although this took place in 1954, the old stratification has not completely gone away.
Filial Piety is a very prominent element of family membership. It is a strong male orientation. The concept of the household in the Korean family is called the “CHIP,” pronounced “cheap,” It is similar to the clan. There is a strong respect for the elders and the educated.
As you can see, the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean families have similarities in the family structure.
The Filipino family structure is very different from the Chinese and Japanese family structure. First of all, there are more than 7,000 different islands that make up the Philippines and many have their own diverse cultures.
The Philippines have been affected by a lot of outside influences. There was a lot of early contact with China that influenced the Philippines and the Philippine lifestyle. The Malaysian trade routes brought the Philippines into contact with Muslims and other cultures. Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines in 1521 for Prince Philip of Spain. This control lasted 378 years until the U.S. ousted Spain.
Filipinos have an extended family similar to the Chinese. However, the family is less formal in their relationships. The family is bonded together with love, respect and responsibility. It is a mutual bond. Relatives of both the husband and wife are part of the extended family.
Due to the Spanish influence, the family includes the godmother and godfather as part of the child’s family. Filial Piety is not practiced. The spouses share parental responsibility, authority, and decision making, similar to the American culture.
Culture is passed on from generation to generation through language.
The Chinese language is the oldest and most widespread language on earth. The Chinese language is monosyllabic. This means it is spoken in words of one syllable. Therefore, gestures and tones are very important to language meaning.
A key point you need to understand is that in China there are over 1000 different dialects or spoken languages, many of which are mutually incomprehensible. This means that if someone from North China meets someone from South China they will be speaking different languages and not able to understand each other. However, the Chinese have only one written language which everyone can understand.
A brief true story about the implications of the different dialects is that most of the early immigration came from an area of southern China called the Canton Province. During World War II, bombers were loaded on the aircraft carrier Hornet with the plan to bomb Japan. The escape plan after the bombing was to fly to China and ditch the planes. Prior to taking off from the Hornet, it was decided to teach the pilots to say “I am an American” in Chinese, so they would not be confused with Russians, and when they land in China they could identify themselves. They were taught in a southern China dialect, but ditched their airplanes on the border with Russia in northern China. When the Chinese approached them they raised their hands saying “I am an American.” Not able to identify themselves in the dialect spoken in northern China, 20 of the 80 pilots were shot or killed, because they couldn’t identify themselves.
In the written language there is a sign for every idea and they are called ideographs. The concept of the language is the expressing of ideas instead of words, which is a significant difference from the Western language. This written language is also understood in Japan and Korea as well.
The Japanese language was borrowed and adapted from the Chinese. The spoken language differs in dialect from the Chinese. It is polysyllabic and mutually intelligible. The basic concept of expressing ideas rather than word sounds is also a part of the language. It is a single spoken language that is understood by everyone.
The written language consists of Kanji, Hirigana, and Katakan. Kanji involves several thousand characters of Chinese style ideographs. The Hiragana is the most common written form and uses phonetic symbols. The Katakana is sort of an attempt at an alphabet. The Hiragana and Katakana are relatively new styles.
The Korean language is written with Chinese characters and a native Korean script known as han’gul pronounced “Hongool.” It is a phonetic alphabet. The grammatical structure is similar to the Japanese, as is used as the single spoken language. In the Korean language there are different levels of speech when addressing persons who are superior, equal, or inferior in rank.
As mentioned earlier there are over 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines. There are over 300 different spoken languages in the Philippines. The three most prominent are Tagalog, English and Spanish. Tagalog is the largest native language.
One of the interesting aspects of Tagalog is there are no sounds for F, V, W, or Z. This can create some problems for Filipino-Americans during their language orientations, since their native language do not have these sounds.
One of the concepts you need to understand of Chinese religion is that the basic religious beliefs are non-Christian. For some people in the United States that is a problem. The are four basic Chinese-American religious influences and they are Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese Christianity.
Confucianism comes from the teachings of Kung Fu Tze who lived from 551-478 BC. His philosophy survived from the great age of philosophy back in Chinese ancient history. In Confucianism there is no deity, e.g., God, and there is no life after death. It stresses moral ideas.
The central theme of Confucianism is the art of living. A person is an individual who lives in five basic relationships. These relationships are in order from the most important to least important. The most important societal relationship is husband to wife. The second most important is parent to child. The third most important is elder to younger. The fourth is ruler to subject. And the fifth most important is friend to friend.
Confucianism says that if you keep these five basic relationships in harmony you will do well. There is a Confucian analect which says “what you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” Another analect says “A person is judged by what they do and are, rather than what they believe and say.”
One of the most important philosophies of Confucianism is a reverence for ancestors and virtue of education. That is why the educational value and family reverence ties throughout the family structure.
Taoism is the second largest religious influence in China. Taoism consists of two parts and they are “The truth” and “The deed.” The two goals of Taoism are happiness and immortality. Taoism is a “return to nature” kind of religion. Lead a simple life, all life is one. Taoism is probably one of the most superstitious religions. They have more Deities than any other religion. They deal with astrology, fortune telling, witch craft and communication with the spirits of the dead.
One of the more minor religious influences in China is Buddhism. Buddhism began in China about 67 A.D. Buddha offered “The Way.” “The Way” of Buddha is a middle path between the excesses of extreme severe self-denial and uncontrolled passion. You are searching for Nirvana or “perfect peace,” which is a release from the suffering of all of the world. In other words the road to perfect peace is through self-enlightenment.
Chinese Christian churches are not indigenous to China. Chinese Christian churches are something that happened in America after they arrived here. Chinese are eclectic in religious beliefs and have a detached attitude towards it. In other words, it is not uncommon for someone to be part Tao, part Confucian, and part Christian. However, there are some people in the United States who believe either you are or are not Christian. If you are a Christian you can’t be anything else. Most Chinese people joined the Christian churches early, initially to learn the language and group affiliation. This doesn’t mean they weren’t believers.
The three major religions of Japan are Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity. The majority of Japanese are Buddhists.
The Shinto religion is a term coined in the 6th century. It was the traditional religion in Japan before Buddhism came there. Shinto is the largest religion in the world that has a female Deity. One of the tenets of the Shinto religion is to worship things of nature. It involves all of nature’s resources such as lakes, mountains, rivers, and animals. The Shinto religion believes there is no salvation or life after death. They also believe the world we have is good and beautiful. Individuals who practice Shintoism look at the world as heaven versus the Christian belief of heaven being some place else other than earth. The Shinto religion believe evil exists only as a perverseness of spirit.
Japanese Christianity was introduced to Japan in 1549. By the year 1600 there were approximately 300,000 Christians in Japan. However in 1612, there was a religious war and the Christians were persecuted and almost eliminated in Japan.
Japanese-Americans joined Christian churches for basically the same reasons as the Chinese. Initially, it was to learn the language and group affiliation.
The Korean religious influences include Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism. Taoism and Buddhism became the national religions during the 4th century A.D. Confucianism became popular in the 14 century. Christianity was imported to Korea during the late 19th Century.
The Ch’ondo-Gyo religion is the only truly Korean unique religion. It was developed in the mid 1800s during a period of high nationalistic spirit. The basic tenet of Ch’ondo-Gyo is a belief that God exists in everyone, and that it is self-perfection. It is “doing what you are supposed to do” is the path to salvation versus the ritual and ceremony.
The Filipino religion is predominantly Catholicism. The Catholic religion is the most prominent due to their previous Spanish influence. Approximately 80% of Filipinos are Catholics. The other predominant religion is Islam (7%). The religious values and ceremonies of the Filipinos are not significantly different from other Americans. However, they are significantly different from other Asian -Americans.
Asians have other values that don’t fit into family, language or religion. To fully understand their culture we need to discuss these other considerations.
An important value the Chinese practice is known as the concept of “face.” The concept of face is an extremely important and means “I am not going to do anything to embarrass anyone else.” In the concept of “face,” individuals who disagree with someone will not argue face to face. They will get an intermediary, who will intermediate between two people, so the disagreement can be resolved to avoid direct conflict.
Japanese-Americans have a very important value of visibility. It may be more accurate to say invisibility. For example, they do not want to draw attention to themselves. Which means they would refrain from playing loud music, driving luxury cars, live in a big house in Beverly Hills. They will work hard and fit in with everyone else. Basically becoming unnoticeable.
Very important to the Japanese culture is the concept of “generation of character.” What this means is that depending on where you were born determines your generation. The first generation of Japanese are the people who were born in Japan. These are known as the ISSEI. The second generation are NISSEI, and are born in the U.S. of ISSEI parents. The third generation are the SANSEI. The SANSEI traditionally reject ISSEI traditions and values, which causes some conflict within the family. They are the second generation born in The U.S.. The fourth generation are known as the YONSEI. They’re re basically assimilated into the U.S. culture, but retain some elements of the Japanese culture.
A Korean value is the concept of “Kibun.” “Kibun” is based on a Korean word which means “to feel.” This concept is very similar the Chinese value of “face.” It’s basically they will not do or say anything to make another person upset.
The Filipino-Americans have a value of loyalty and one of identity and belonging to a group. It is tremendously important.
Asian-Americans tend to be better educated than all other groups. Education is a Confucius religious and family value. While they comprise 2.9 percent of the U.S. population, Asian-American representation at prestigious colleges and universities is much greater. In 1990 at Harvard, they represented 12 percent of the students; at Stanford, 20 percent; at the University of California at Berkeley, 30 percent. Two of five Asian-Americans have completed four years of college or more, twice the rate for the entire country.
Many Asians who immigrate to the U.S. today come with professional degrees. However, there are some organizations that don’t honor those degrees.
Bi-lingual education does not only apply to the Hispanic culture, but to the Asian culture as well.
Asian-Americans have seen successful military service for many years. In 1898, aboard the Battleship Maine, seven ISSEI (first generation Japanese) sailors died when it was blown up in the Havana harbor.
The Selective Service initially classified the NISSEI “4F” ( unfit for service) during W.W.II and they were not allowed to volunteer for Army service even though they were born in the U.S. and were citizens of the U.S.. However, in 1943, the U.S. formed the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Many of the members of the unit volunteered from the interment camps. The 100th Battalion, which was the Hawaiian National Guard, was an all Japanese unit from Hawaii. After that the Army formed the 442 Regimental Combat team, both units saw extensive combat service in Italy.
The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were the most highly decorated units of W.W.I. There were 18,143 individual decorations for valor in less than two years. One soldier earned the Medal of Honor. 52 received Distinguished Service Crosses, One Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Stars with 28 Oak Leaf Clusters, 22 Legions of Merit, 15 Soldier’s Medals, 4000 Bronze Stars plus 1200 Oak Leaf Clusters representing second Bronze Stars, 9486 Purple Hearts, seven Presidential Unit Citations, two Meritorious Unit Citations, 36 Army Commendation Medals, 87 Division Commendations, and 18 decorations from allied nations. Even with their outstanding service, upon return to the U.S. they were still unwelcome in many areas.
President Harry S. Truman pinned the final Presidential Citation to the 442nd colors and said “I can tell you how much I appreciate the privilege of being able to show you just how much the United States thinks of what you have done...You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice and you won.”
Other contributions include the formation of the 4th Army Intelligence School responsible for taking ISSEI and NISSEI soldiers, increasing their language fluency, to be part of the code network throughout the Pacific and gathering intelligence from the Imperial Japanese, during the later part of the war. The NISSEI contribution was for us to understand the Japanese, while the Navajo contribution was to prevent people from understanding us.
So, there have been significant contributions of Asian-Americans in keeping our country free.
Many individuals think Asian-Americans are a minority that we don’t have to worry about very much, because they are doing very well. Asian-Americans, like other minority groups and cultures, have problems and concerns that need to be addressed. Of primary concern is the negative stereotype the Japanese are buying up America.
Other problems include the family and maintaining their old culture e.g., language, religion etc.
The following is an extract of comments from a 1986 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. While it talks about Asian-Americans, it is unfortunately applicable to other groups and cultures.
“The root causes of bigotry and violence against Asian-Americans are complex. Racial prejudice; misplaced anger caused by wars or economic competition with Asian countries; resentment of the real of perceived success of Asian-Americans; and a lack of understanding of the histories, customs, and religions of Asian-Americans all play a role in triggering incidents of bigotry and violence. The media have contributed to the prejudice by promoting stereotypes of Asian-Americans, especially the model minority stereotype; by sometimes highlighting the criminal activities of Asian gangs; and by failing to provide in-depth and balanced coverage that would help the public to understand the diverse Asian-American population. Furthermore, the media gives little attention to hate crimes against Asian-Americans, thereby hindering the formation of a national sense of outrage about bigotry and violence against Asian-Americans, a critical ingredient for social change.......”
While data is difficult to obtain, incomplete when available, and limited by widespread underreporting of anti-Asian violence, it nonetheless clearly establishes that the problem is extensive and severe.
Doris Matsui and Shirley Sagawa - First Asian-American members of President Clinton’s sub-cabinet.
Dennis Yao - One of five Federal Trade Commissioners selected by President Bush in 1991.
Hiram L. Fong, Spark M. Matsunga, and Daniel Ken Inouye - U.S. Senators.
Robert Matsui, Daniel K. Akaka and Patsy Takemoto Mink - U.S. Representatives.
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa - U.S. Senator, college president, and author.
Science
Jokichi Takamine - Chemist, first to isolate adrenaline.
Hideyo Murayama - Isolated syphilis germ.
Dr. An Wang - Computer wizard.
Satori Kato - Chemist, invented instant powdered coffee.
Dr. May Stone - First Chinese woman to graduate from an American medical school.
Ananda Chakrabarty - Pioneer in genetic engineering.
Dr. Yuan Lee - Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1986.
Dr. Samuel Ting - Nobel prize winner in physics in 1976.
LTC Ellison Onizuka - Flew aboard the first Defense Department shuttle mission in January 1985 and later died aboard the Challenger in 1986.
Entertainment
Lea Salonga - Star on Broadway play “Miss Saigon.”
Joan Chen - Actress.
Bruce Lee - Actor in marital arts films.
Kam Fong - Actor in “Hawaii 50.”
Sessue Hayakawa - Actor in “Bridge on the River Kwai.”
George Takei - Actor in “Star Trek.”
Dr. Haing S. Ngor - Oscar winning actor in “The Killing Fields.”
Connie Chung - First Asian-American to report nationally for a television network.
Jon Yune - Comedian.
Seiji Ozawa - Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Kyung-Wha Chung - World famous violinist.
Sports
George Haaheo “Chad” Rowan aka “Akebono.” - The only American ever to win the title of “Yokozuna,” Japan’s top Sumo wrestler.
Kristi Yamaguchi - 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in women’s figure skating.
Charlie Pung, Richard Tanabe, Sandra Nitta, Linda Jezek, Evelyn Kawamoto, Ford Konno, and Yoshinaba Oyakawa - Swimmers and Olympic medalists.
Vicki Manalo Draves - In 1948, was first woman in Olympic history to win two gold medals in diving.
Dr. Sammy Lee - Diving champion.
Tiffany Chin - Youngest ice skater ever to win the Junior World Figure Skating Title.
Harold Sakata and Tommy Kono - Olympic weight lifters.
James Yoshinori - Boxer.
Patrick Mitsugi Burris, Nicki Yonezuki, Craig Agena, and LTC Paul K. Maruyama, USAF - Judo champions.
Michael
Chang - Youngest male winner of the French Open tennis tournament in 1989.
Business
Rocky Aoki - Founder of Benihana of Tokyo restaurant chain.
Joe Shoong - Founder of National Dollar Stores chain.
Rick Inatome - Founded Inacomp Computer Corp.
Gerald Tsai, Jr. - Chairman of American Can Co., first Chinese-born American citizen to head a major, old-line U.S. corporation.
Japanese cherry
blossom trees were planted in Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., in 1912 as a
gift from the people of Tokyo.
Cherries were cultivated in China approximately 4,000 years ago, but a Chinese immigrant named Bing developed the Bing Cherry in 1875.
Some Asian words which have become part of the American language: tea, typhoon, tong, kumquat, kowtow, and honcho (from han-cho meaning squad leader).
Chop Suey was developed in the U.S. in an attempt to recreate authentic Chinese food without proper cooking utensils, ingredients, or seasonings.
Chow Mein is also an American dish, first prepared by Chinese railroad workers in San Francisco.
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07/16/09