I was saddened to learn that many immigrant children of the past had to drop out of school in order to help contribute to the family’s income. They had no choice: ‘‘But you don’t understand….Every little money that comes into the household counts. Celia must go working. We know it’s hard, but what can we do? There are three more [children] that must go through public school, no? Three more need shoes and shirts and dresses and food. There isn’t enough. My husband makes but very little. He is no more a young one. Wouldn’t we let Celia go if we could? Of course! Don’t talk foolish!” (192). This story broke my heart because the family was desperate and were forced to pull their child out of school in order to survive in the country.

It is terrible that the schools in the past wanted to suppress the immigrants native culture. They wanted them to become fully Americanized. District Superintendent Julia Richman “assigned teachers to patrol lunchrooms, restrooms, and school yards and told them to give demerits when the hated ‘jargon’ was heard; she encouraged teachers to wash out with soap the mouths of those who relapsed” (Foner 207). I think this was way too harsh and was promoting the idea that the American culture is superior above all others. I am glad that in today’s society, multicultural differences are praised. In fact, back in my high school, we had Multicultural day every year. During this day, everyone dressed up in their cultural clothes and brought in foods from their home country.

I found the quote, “Immigrant parents are typically more effective in keeping daughters away from the temptations of American youth culture and the ethos of the street because they subject the young women to greater controls and keep them more tied to the home than sons” (Foner 213) to be particularly interesting. I don’t believe that this quote is true for many cases. I know of many girls who rebel because of the excessive control of their parents. They usually indulge in the so called “American youth culture” and go clubbing, drinking and smoking there, without their parents having a clue about what is going on in their daughter’s lives.

-Anissa Daimally

In this chapter, Foner focuses on the transnational ties that past immigrants held and contemporary immigrants continue to hold today. Linda Basch defines transnationalism as the “processes by which immigrants ‘forge and sustain multi-standard social relations that link together their societies of origin and settlement” (Foner 169). Immigrants maintain the familial, economic, cultural and political connections with their home country.

I found it interesting that thousands of Dominicans actually flew back to their home country to vote in a presidential election. Furthermore, I was intrigued that those who actually lived in the United States could still run for office in the Dominican Republic. It is very thoughtful and heartwarming for the Dominican Republic government to say that it was okay if the Dominicans had to become citizens and that the country will still welcome them with open arms.

Technology has also made transnational connections easier for contemporary immigrants. For example, my family travels back to Guyana every couple of years to visit our family that still live there. Because of the inexpensive air fare, we are able to do this frequently. Furthermore, because of technology, we can easily find out what is going on with our family on a daily basis through telephones and Facebook. My family also keeps up with Guyana’s politics. My uncle always looks online at Guyanese news sites to keep up with what is going on in the country. He also buys newspapers that relate the Guyanese news.

-Anissa Daimally

– It was so hard to read that so many Jewish students would start school and not finish. Although I knew that these students needed to get a job in order to contribute to the family income, I still couldn’t accept such as a justifiable reason. I know that income at the turn of the last century wasn’t easy to come by, but did one less income of a child in school cause the entire family to be in such dire economic needs. I believe in the long run it would have been more beneficial for Jewish children and immigrants at the time to finish school. Were people unable to rationalize the fact that by finishing school one would have a higher earning potential.

-Did people at the time only think about the here and now rather than the distant future?

-When one considers programs such as the state’s Educational Opportunity Program, there is no reason why disadvantaged students and those from immigrant household should be unable to attend college. The state college system is very conducive to accommodating to low-income families and those individuals who may not have had the best grades due to their socioeconomic standing. The only people who should be facing a problem are those individuals that are undocumented. As an undocumented individual, one can’t apply for financial aid or to college as a social security number is needed.

-Ashley Haynes 

-When one considers that most immigrants come here to send funds home and eventually return to their native land, it is beyond my understanding how most immigrants are now only known for trying to get over, especially in the case of illegal immigrants. In the case of the undocumented they are more than willing to pay their dues to society through taxes, it is only a matter of not being able to since they are not suppose to be here. I believe more people should be reminded of the fact that immigrants are in reality no different from native-born Americans. Both groups of people work equally as hard. Immigrants provide for their families and try to better their standing in society just as native-born Americans. The only difference is that immigrants usually send their funds back home while native-born Americans try to improve their lives here.

-It is truly unbelievable how long it used to take for letters or immigrants to travel back home. However, I guess that such a reality makes it even more amazing how technology has improved transnational communications. Technology, as the book points out has “increased the density, multiplicity, and the importance of transnational interconnections and made it possible for the first time for immigrants to operate more or less simultaneously in a variety of places.” It no longer takes two weeks for communication between immigrants in the US to reach back home through letters. People can now use telephones and services such as Skype and oovoo to not only communicate but to see each other as well. Likewise, people can simply hop on a plane to check up on family and establishments they may have set up in their native land.

-Ashley Haynes

In Chapter 6, “Transnational Ties,” Foner discusses what leading a transnational life means. This is obviously important because most people who move to another country, don’t instantaneously lose contact with those they left behind. Today it’s obviously a much easier to hold onto those that don’t move with you, as there is modern technology that keeps you up to date almost instantly. As we saw in the movie we watched in class, though, in the past it wasn’t so easy. If one didn’t know how to write, you had to hire someone to transcribe a letter for you, and it could take a very long time to get that letter where you wanted it to go and then to get a reply.

In Chapter 7, “Going to School,” Foner discusses culture and race as factors that play into educational success. Obviously, there are stereotypes about this that play into how people perceive one’s educational success based on that person’s culture and race. However, I think what’s more interesting is her discussion of how most immigrant parents that come to New York, now, come with positive attitudes towards education in the US and their expectations for their children’s educational success in the US. I think this makes sense because people do see the US as being such a superpower, but what’s interesting is that statistics do not have the US leading in education – worldwide.

In Chapter 3, “The Work They Do,” Foner focuses on immigrants as a whole in the workplace. In Chapter 4, “Immigrant Women and Work,” Foner focuses on immigrant women in the workplace. Both chapters focus on the workplace and how it has changed for immigrants. In Chapter 3 she talks about the differences in types of work that immigrants do, due to the changes in the types of immigrants (those with more educational background than before) that come into the United States. In Chapter 4 she talks about the differences in who is working – older women enter the workforce later, after having children, and stay in the workplace, rather than staying at home and sending young daughters to work. I found this interesting because when we went to the LES Tenement Museum, we discussed the daughters of the families going to work and how their parents would blame them if they were fired even though the conditions for firing were so strange.

In Chapter 5, “The Sting of Prejudice,” begins by discussing the differences in the ethnicities of immigrants as well as those already living in New York City. Earlier on, those immigrating to the United States were mostly white, but later on different ethnicities started to come into the US and they found more and more diversity in NYC when they did arrive. The main discussion of Chapter 5, though, is the actual idea of what race is, and what comes from that (racism). In the earlier days, Jews and Italians found heavy prejudice against them, even though nowadays they are mostly seen as fitting into the “white” category. Foner writes, “Racial differences may seem permanent and immutable – as if they are inevitable and “natural” – but, in fact, race is a changeable perception” (142).

Foner explores the educational patterns of early Jewish immigrants.  I find it completely understandable that few of these children of immigrant studied past eighth grade. Children’s contributions to income much more important in these circumstances, as they were needed for labor services and could work with an eighth grade diploma.

I was interested to find that native born minority students are often worse students than immigrant children.  I find this point intuitive, as the public school system offers a variety of programs to help them.  Furthermore, Foner draws attention to the fact that, if these students do well in school, it is their track to assimilating into the majority or minority middle class.

I found it particularly interesting that Foner considers culture and race as a factor that plays a role in educational success.  She cites the example of Chinese and Korean parents who value their children’s success in school as a way to measure their family’s respectability.  Educational success is also important to South Asian parents as well, and these parents tend to reiterate the “Asians-are-good-math” stereotype.  Below are some “desi” (of or pertaining to the subcontinent) rage comics that identify the importance of educational success to which  South Asian immigrant children are subjected by their parents.

The first image draws attention to the pressure from parents to do well in school and receive high grades.  The second image, however, is perhaps more interesting.  It draws attention to the effect of parents’ attitudes on these children.  The comic, albeit an exaggeration, sheds light upon the way in which South Asian children themselves adopt the educational standards of their parents.

I was shocked to learn about the attempts in NYC public schools to suppress expressions of culture or ethnicity.  These attempts were implemented to foresee the ultimate goal of Americanizing the children of immigrants. This truth because awareness and acceptance of cultural diversity is now encouraged and emphasized in schools, as evidenced by the pluralism and diversity component necessary to fulfill Hunter’s general education requirements.

Foner discusses the concept of leading a transnational life, an inevitable point considering the fact that one does not instantaneously lose his or her ethnic and cultural identity in a new locale.  Indeed ,an individual retains ties to the people, values, and language around which he or she grew up.  In the past, immigrants remained transnational by physically living in both countries – travelling back and forth – as was the case for Italian immigrants at the turn of the century.  Today, immigrants retain transnational links as a result of increased technological advances.  I use Skype, phone, (and sometimes the post!) to send and receive information and gifts, respectively, from relatives from abroad.

Further, Foner cites in the example of American Indians who watch “full-length videos of weddings” (178); I have done this many times before, and this is the way in which I have become familiar with a large majority of cousins that I have never even met before!  Foner further sheds light upon the fact that many Indians frequently visit – I can attest to this fact, as it is currently summer vacation in India and am thus in the midst of receiving relatives at the airport every weekend.

What are the legal policies that come into play when foreign candidates for office campaign to dual citizens in the United States?

In Chapter 5:  The Sting of Prejudice, Foner explores racism towards immigrants.  One of Foner’s points in this chapter is that West Indian immigrants are often considered black although they strongly prefer not to be.  Foner says that West Indian refers to people of African descent from the English-speaking Caribbean.  To most New Yorkers, people who are West Indian are not seen as such, but they are simply lumped together with American blacks.  This can be seen in our own lives.  If you see someone from West Indian descent on the streets of New York you most likely won’t stop and think about where they came from or what specific nationality they are.  One of the things that stuck out to me was when Foner mentions a West Indian social worker who was not offered a magazine on a plane because he was the only black person.  Despite their nationality, education, age, or occupation, people who are deemed black often face injustice.

Another interesting point Foner made was the fact that in the time of the last great immigration wave, it was not clear what ethnic group Italians and Jews should be placed in.  This was fascinating because today these groups of people are largely considered white.  In the past, these people were considered part of “inferior mongrel races.”  It had been said that they would diminish the beauty and intelligence of the American people thus ruining the Anglo-Saxon image.  Foner says that Italians were often the subjects of name calling.  One of these was the term, guinea, which referred to African slaves.  I found this particularly interesting because I remember my grandpa saying how much he disliked that word, and whenever it was used he would disapprove.  My grandpa was born in New York, but he is from Italian descent, more specifically from Messina, Sicily.

In Chapter four, Foner focuses more on immigrant women’s place in the workforce.  One of the things that stuck out to me was the fact that despite the improvements in the lives of immigrant working women there are still many inequalities.  It is great that now more and more immigrant women have more education and training that those of the past.  Now, there are more opportunities for women in education and employment, and they are more able to manage on their own.  This is inspiring because immigrant women and their daughters can now aspire to higher careers.  Unfortunately, there is still gender inequality in the United States.  Many women still work in very low-status jobs or receive less pay than men.  Women are also dealing with more household duties than the men in their families.

Another aspect I found interesting was the fact that immigrant daughters were expected to go out and earn a living in often debilitating factory conditions.  Although it may have expanded their horizons, Foner points out that wages were low and their work was often dangerous.  One particular aspect of working daughters that stuck out was the fact that their pay contributed largely to the family’s income.  Foner states that Jewish daughters brought in about 40 percent of the household income, while Italian daughters brought in a bit less.  This goes along with the fact that many of them gave all of their pay to their parents.  Some immigrant daughters had to work to pay off their brothers’ education.  Reading what some of these daughters went through makes me even more appreciative of my opportunities in education in this time period.

In Chapter 3, Nancy Foner focuses on the work of immigrants.  She also compares the work of recent immigrants to past immigrants.  One of the interesting comparisons Foner makes is that no matter the time period, immigrants often come here for betterment of their families.  This often means taking whatever jobs they can find despite the wages.  In the past and today, jobs that immigrants find here often pay more than what their jobs did at home making this new work more appealing.  Even if the wages are actually not very good, they seem good at least at first compared to the money received at home.  Many immigrants earn money and send it back home.  They plan on returning back home eventually with the money they’ve earned so that their families are more well off.

Another topic Foner brings up is “niche development.”  People create their networks of people they know and use these links to find jobs.  Immigrants find jobs through their friends and family living in America.  This benefits employers and job seekers because people are being referred to employers and immigrants are finding jobs more easily.  As this process continues, one ethnic group tends to become associated with a certain occupation, like Chinese people working in garment factories.  We also see this today in the medical field where there are many Filipino women becoming nurses.  I see this in my own life where my friend’s mother is a Filipino women who not only is a nurse but a nursing teacher as well.

– “ It is unthinkable that so many persons with crooked faces, coarse mouths, bad noses, heavy jaws, and low foreheads can mingle their heredity with ours without making personal beauty yet more rare among us than it actually is.”

When I read the above sentiment, I was flabbergasted. I found it to be very deplorable how someone could claim that non native-born Americans could somehow cause an impurity and tainted state to the native gene pool. If one only takes into account Science such a claim holds no weight. Externally one person obviously differs from the next. However, in terms an individual’s internal makeup everything is the same with the exception of DNA.

-It was also bvery interesting and surprising to read that even Jacob Riis, a social reformer, used racial stereotypes in his classic expose “How the Other Half Lives.” I believe that although one may not intentionally seek to rely on stereotypes, it is apart of a human innate being. Stereotypes are usually a pre-known generalization that one relies upon like clichés. However, such doesn’t justify there negative connotation.

-“In 1990, a quarter of the Dominicans in NYC, compared to 13 percent of the Cubans and 3 percent of Columbians, described themselves on the census as black.”

When I read the passage above, I was reminded of Foner’s How Exceptional is New York article. In the article, I didn’t know how the census was able to report that Cubans who are phenotypically white or light skinned in the Miami metropolitan area identified as white on their census forms. Likewise, in Foner’s book I still don’t know how the people who are affiliated with the census are able to know that most Dominicans identified as blak while others did not. ? Do they send out workers to estimate the validity of these forms? Do people check more than one book on their census forms?

-“There has been a gradual racialization of Hispanics—-a belief that physical characteristics, particularly skin color, are involved.”

When I came across the previously quoted line in the reading, I was reminded of the Arizona Law passed to combat the problem of illegal immigration. In Arizona most Hispanics are automatically stigmatized as “illegal imposters” in this country. After a two struggle, the Arizona law enforcing agencies now require officers to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the country illegally. Wearing the wrong clothes, speaking with the wrong accent or having the wrong skin color could land you in hot water in Arizona. However, I believe there is a better way to combat the issue of illegal immigration because assuming that all or most Hispanics are undocumented is pure discrimination.

-Ashley Haynes

I was very surprised while reading this chapter.  I have heard of many of these facts and figures before, but reading them all within this chapter really changed my view of the immigration into the United States and especially New York City.  The idea that girls were forced into working for their families while their brothers were able to get an education and ‘roam the streets’ is one hundred percent unfair.  Gender inequality is something I think should be mended and changed all throughout the world.  Women and men are meant to be equals, they may be built differently, however women have the same intellectual abilities as men that should not have kept the in factories and helping caring for the children at home instead of getting an education.  The girls in these families would sit in a factory, hours on end and come home and hand their paycheck directly to their mothers, in order to help support the family.  What really surprised me was in the case of one of the girls, where she was the main financial supporter of the family, because her mother stayed home to care for the younger children and her father worked irregularly.  Girls worked hard in coming to this country, and were not treated fairly, as seen with tragedies such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

Women were not even treated fairly at home, when they had to stay as their brothers went to school.  The anecdotes of the some immigrant women throughout the reading was shocking as well.  The fact that women took lower pay so that their husbands would not have a low ego and lose his superiority complex enrages me.  ‘If I went to Korea, he would starve to death,’ clearly shows how is stronger in the marriage, yet women had, and in most cases, still have less power than men.

It is unfortunately seen that throughout history and even today in the United States and throughout the world, there is still prejudice and discrimination against different racial and ethnic groups for one reason or another.  Even in one of the most diverse places in our country has faced harsh diversity in its history as an immigrant city, New York City.  From once believing that people of Jewish and European origins were not considered white it is hard to imagine that different discriminations still occur today.  Today there are more blacks and West Indians who are discriminated against and stereotyped, simply because of the color of their skin.  In this chapter Foner brought up different examples of black teenagers have been followed while in stores as managers and workers were checking to make sure they were not stealing, other innocent bystanders who clutch their bags and wallets when an equally innocent black teenager, male in particular, walks by.  In my own personal experience I have talked to students and peers who have had similar situations happen to them, even though they would never think of stealing anything from anybody.

Foner’s discussion of the Hispanic immigration was also interesting, bringing up different topics of conversation.  For example, in todays society people have been afraid that the high rates of immigration is leading to the downfall of what it means to be an ‘American’.  As more people move in from outside countries, some believe that our ideals and image of the United States will not be upheld.  I for one do not think that, I think the immigration of people into the United States is what makes us so unique, particularly New York City, where there is an enormously diverse and interesting array of people.  We have so much to learn from different cultures that discriminating against anyone purely because of the way they look would be a tremendous loss for the city and even the country.

I found it interesting that a large majority of Korean immigrants do not speak to one another about their current occupation, their past occupation, and their occupation level.  This limitation is put in place by the bitterness that oftentimes accompanies a decline in prestige, as many Korean immigrants were professionals in their native country.  Foner draws attention to the “downward occupational mobility” (90) experienced by many of today’s newcomers.  As mentioned in the beginning of From Ellis Island to JFK, the new wave of immigrants is significantly more diverse occupationally and educationally when compared with the majority of immigrants that came at the turn of the century.  The phenomenon of downward economic mobility refers to situations in which immigrants take up jobs in the receiving country for which they are overqualified.  Oftentimes, such individuals are professionals (doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers) in their home country, but take up menial jobs in New York because of “unfamiliarity with the English language and American culture” (91).  Another major factor includes the fact professional certificates from other countries are often not recognized in America.

What are the pros and cons of immigrants with limited English language proficiency taking up jobs that do not require much face-to-face interaction with patients or the public?

Further, Foner presents a lucid picture of the situation of immigrant women and the work that they do.  She draws attention to the fact that women, as a result of migration, do not necessarily escape traditional patriarchal codes and practices; gender inequalities remain intact.  I was, however, surprised to read that “More women come on their own rather than follow in the footsteps of men” (123).  I was previously unaware of the presence of women pioneer immigrants, as all of the female immigrants I know came with their families.  Foner cites the example of Jamaican women who moved to New York on their own to be live-in domestic workers; such women later sent money for plane tickets to their children and husbands.

I also found it interesting that turn-of-the-century women – in taking on homework or boarders – actually increased their responsibilities, domestic or otherwise.  Foner draws attention to the fact that women’s employment today transforms family relationships.  Husbands often help out with domestic responsibilities, thus changing the balance of power in immigrant households.

In Chapter 5: The Sting of Prejudice, it was interesting to learn that Italians and Jews were once discriminated against as well. Today we associate them as part of the broad category of “white”. However, in the past, they were considered a separate and inferior group. This showed how racism was not always a white versus black matter. In order to assert supremacy, groups actually create hierarchies within themselves to distinguish certain individuals from others. This also shows how categorizing people and social hierarchies are almost a part of human nature, and will arise no matter the situation.

What I also found interesting was how society and the government used the same tactics to isolate groups that they saw were inferior, specifically the Jews and the Asians. For the Jews, they pointed out specific physical features and behavioral traits that were deemed unassimilable. As a result, Jews as a whole were constructed as outsiders of society, making it easier to openly discriminate against them. Similarly, for Asians, they were classified as unassimilable as well, based on cultural and language differences. As a result, it was acceptable for the government to distinguish them as a separate group, make laws against them, and exclude them from society as much as possible.

The mention of prejudice between minority groups was also interesting, especially the relationship between Asians and blacks. There seems to be a preconception of blacks that parents tend to pass on to their children from a young age. As a result, children grow up believing blacks are a group of people with certain traits and learn to not associate with them without even giving them a chance.  This shows how racism and prejudice are largely a social construction and results from a misunderstanding between groups.

-Wendy Li

In Chapter 4: Immigrant Women and Work, the sentence that I found particularly interesting was, “ The Chinese say that women hold up half the sky…” (109). Growing up, I’ve heard my mother say this phrase many times. However, as I got older I realized how this was untrue on many levels, as Foner points out as well. I thought women always did more than their share as they tried to balance family and work. Although my mother was under a great deal of stress, she had no one to complain to because she saw it as her responsibility. This phrase, I felt, was a way to empower her in her times of stress. It allowed her to keep working, knowing that what she was doing was important to the family as well.

What was also interesting in this chapter was how Foner describes how life in America increased the freedom and power of women in the household. Even though the depiction of the immigrant experience is filled with hardship and suffering, it is good to know that there were benefits that women experienced as well. This change, however, probably contributed to the assimilation of other cultures in to American culture. Women are more likely to give up their traditions, if they saw them as oppressive, and adopt the American culture and pass those ideas onto their children. Men were probably the ones to hold on to their traditions more because releasing that grasp would mean lowering the amount of power they held in the household.

-Wendy Li

In Chapter 3: The Work They Do, Foner mentions the typical job for Chinese men. I found this interesting because in Sewing Women, we focused only on the garment industry, which was the job of a woman. However, Foner goes into more detail about the men’s job in the restaurant and its rigid work schedules. It would have been interesting if Foner described what the typical workday for a male restaurant worker was. My uncle works as a chef in a restaurant and has mentioned how the conditions in the kitchen put workers at risk for certain health problems as well. Learning more about the “man’s job” would paint a more complete picture of the immigrant experience for a Chinese family in New York City.

One question I had was that if a man worked in a restaurant and performed tasks like dishwashing, waiting tables, or cooking, would he be more likely to do those tasks at home as well, rather than leaving it to the wife?

The way Foner mentions the restaurant industry also explains why Chinatown has so many restaurants. They catered first to the male sojourners who did not have women to cook for them and then later expanded to cater to the tourist industry. This makes sense and explains why Chinatown is packed with restaurants that offer all types of Chinese and Asian food in general.

-Wendy Li

–It was appalling how even when women were able to have a life outside of the household, not much change. As the reading notes, “young women’s expanded wage-earning role in New York did not translate into economic independence or control.” It seems as though before women were able to have the liberties seen today which includes managing their own money and being completely independent of a man in the sense that they can support their own self, women in the past seemed to have been pulled back before being able to trudge forward.

-When I read the sentiment of a Russian man saying, “Thank God, I’m not a woman.’ A girl wasn’t much,” I couldn’t believe a man of the time period could say such a thing. I understand that at the turn of the last century women didn’t have many rights but that doesn’t mean to be one was somehow bad. If it weren’t for the hard household labor of women, men wouldn’t have been able to function. It was the women who cleaned, cooked, did laundry, ironed and cared for the children while their husbands went out to work. If it is just trying for me to read the list, I can only imagine how it felt for a woman of the time period to do all of those pre-mentioned tasks.

-Did men of this time period even appreciate the work that their wives did for them and the entire family?

-Ashley Haynes

-It was very interesting how even the skilled immigrants faced the same reality in America as the unskilled immigrants when they looked for work. I had naturally assumed that those who were skilled despite any language barrier they may have had would easily find a job. Usually businesses knew that they didn’t have to pay much for the labor of immigrants. During the initial waves of immigration, immigrants were eager for any monetary opportunity they could get because they needed to provide for themselves and their family. However, the reading seemed to suggest that the inability to speak English unfortunately placed all immigrant workers on the same level. In the end, it is just so sad to fathom that there was no alternative but to toil long hours at backbreaking jobs.

-“It was extremely hard to find an Italian in New York who could write his own tongue with accuracy.”

When I read about the low levels of literacy amongst Italian immigrants in their native tongue, I was shocked. When you read immigrant accounts it is common to read that they couldn’t read and write in English. However, at the very least they should be literate in their own language. Thus, this raises the question in my mind as to why such was the case. Did Italian immigrants find it pointless to learn how to read and write in their native language with the understanding that they wouldn’t need to know how once in America?

-“Today’s immigrants, therefore, can be divided roughly into two camps: those who arrive with college degrees and specialized skills, on the one hand, and those with little education and training on the other.”

Reading about and knowing that two spectrums exist in terms of the backgrounds immigrants arrive with should lead people to at the very least understand that not all immigrants who arrive could be grouped into one category. As a result, I don’t understand why the overwhelming majority of immigrants are categorized as trying to get over by draining the public system of funds. I believe that everyone deserves their proper due and this includes recognizing that immigrants not only come for economic assistance but to also help enrich America by contributing to innovation.

Questions:

Why did immigrant workers who paid for needles get fined if they broke the needle? How can you be fined for something you paid for?

-Ashley Haynes

In this chapter, Foner focuses on comparing the immigrant women of the past, the Jews and Italians, with the immigrant women in today’s society. I was surprised to learn that women who were married in the past were compelled to stay home to take care of the children and to fulfill domestic responsibilities. In fact, “in American cultural environment, female labor was seen as a necessary evil to be tolerated only if a family was in difficult economic circumstances”(118). I remember when visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the mothers of the households had no occupations listed next to their names on the census. The tour guide explained that even if these women held jobs, it wouldn’t be listed because the norm of the society at that time was for married women to be housewives.

However, as times have changed, more women are entering the workforce. Men are also now expected to help inside the home, a responsibility that no man in the past would ever fulfill.

I found it ridiculous that some men pressured their wives to stay home because of their ego and belief of male superiority. They shouldn’t prevent their wives from working because every additional help towards the family income counts. In addition, I found it sad that some women had to reduce their incomes in order to satisfy their husband’s ego. Husbands should swallow their pride and allow their wives to hold a job and women should feel like they can make more money than their husbands. After all, in a marriage, both the wife and the husband are considered equals.

Furthermore, everyone in the household was expected to work to contribute towards the family income. Children even obtained false working papers when they did not finish their required education. I have family who were recent immigrants where each member of the family worked in order to support the entire family. My aunt and uncle work each day of the week while my two cousins work while going to college.

-Anissa Daimally

In this chapter, Foner compares and contrasts the immigrants of the past, Jews and Italians, with the immigrants in today’s society and their role in the workforce. In the past, many jobs required just “brawn and muscle.” Today, the New York economy has shifted to one where jobs require college degrees. There is a shift from “blue collar jobs to professionals, managers, secretaries and service workers” (88). This can be the reason why immigrants today now come prepared with college degrees and specialized skills.

I also found a similarity between the Chinese garment industry of today and the Jewish immigrant industry of the past. Like the Chinese, the Jewish “employers preferred applicants who are recommended by existing employees” (80). This is because employers want to find the easiest and cheapest way to gain employees. Furthermore, these referred workers are under the pressure to do well because they do not want to reflect bad on their sponsors. Thus, these employers can take advantage of their workers because they know that the referred employees will not complain.

I am saddened that those immigrants who had professional jobs in their country cannot get those same jobs in the United States due to the lack of English, the lack of U.S. job experience, and the lack of network ties that would connect them to the mainstream economy. However, there is an upside to their decline in occupational status: they make more than they ever would back in their home country.

In the chapter, Foner states that “Koreans own most of the fruit and vegetable markets, even those announcing that they specialize in West Indian products” (108). I’ve actually noticed this; when walking down on Liberty Avenue, I found that most of the food markets were actually owned by Asian Americans.

-Anissa Daimally

In chapter one of From Ellis Island to JFK, Foner describes who the immigrants were and why and how they came.  I liked how Foner began the chapter with a quote from Emma Lazarus’s poem engraved on the Statue of Liberty which says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  I think this helps the reader relate right away to what she is talking about because the Statue of Liberty is such an important symbol of our patriotism.  She also cleverly uses this to link to her point that in more recent times, not only poor and oppressed people are coming to America.  Now, people from all over the world are coming to America for different reasons.  For example, many people today come to America with degrees already earned.  Todays immigrants come from so many cultural and economic backgrounds.  People are still coming from Europe, but they are also arriving from the Caribbean.  People who are poor are still coming but so are doctors, lawyers, and engineers.

It is also interesting to see the reasons why people are coming to America.  One point Foner makes is that immigrants today come because they can.  In the past there were different immigration laws in America and other countries only allowing a certain number of people of specific races into America or out of their native countries.  Now, most people find it easier to emigrate from their countries of origin.  Other people come here to find jobs.  They may be trying to escape the governmental or economic conditions found in their homeland.  For example, people with higher degrees may not be able to find a job in their country so they come to America to seek out a place to work and make a living.  In Russia, Jewish people faced oppression making the anti-Semitism their ultimate reason for emigrating.  Whatever the reason for immigration may be, people look to America as a place where they will be able to survive and prosper.

In this chapter, Foner describes the discrimination and prejudice that the Jews and Italians faced in the past. The racism was scientifically based upon, with renown scientists at the time supporting the discrimination with bogus scientific facts. In reality, race does not even exist; it does not exist biologically but it does exist socially. Foner states that “Race, in other words, is a social and cultural construction, and what is important is how physical characteristics or traits are interpreted within particular social contexts and are used to define categories of people as inferior or superior.” I was intrigued by this statement because it is completely true; humans let ignorance perpetuate stereotypes associated with ‘racist labels.’

However, racism is a changeable perception in society. The Jews and Italians who were once discriminated are now considered to be ‘white.’ As students mentioned in class, the targets of racism and prejudice change over time and are a result of events that are occurring in the world. For example, Muslims are the targets of prejudice due to the terrorism attacks and the wars going on in the Middle East. My teacher, who is a Muslim, was the target of unfairness. Everyday when she went into the subway and there were ‘random searches,’ she was always chosen as the  target of the random search done by the police because she wore a hijab.

Because of the racism that exists, many people have the notion that white people are superior. As Munazza Alam mentioned in the post before me, people are trying to lighten their skin because of this belief. In fact, in Jamaica, there are singers who publicize and promote skin bleaching. For example, Vybz Kartel released a song titled “Cake Soap,” in which the lyrics state that it is ‘cool’ to bleach your skin.

It was interesting to learn that the Asian immigrants are “almost whites but not whites.” This is because they come to the country with college degrees and the financial ability to purchase middle-class homes. Thus, the can fit more into the white social world. However, does this apply to Asians who are not light skinned?

-Anissa Daimally

Foner draws attention to the deeply rooted sentiments of racial prejudice that existed in America during the first wave of immigration.  Justification for such racism hinged upon the idea of scientific racism, which used biological principles to supposedly prove the superiority of the white race.  Works such as Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race reiterate these ideas, and serve as testaments to the strength of these bigoted views.  Grant even expresses a fear that racial mixing would dilute the purity of the Nordic race.  Such attitudes, coupled with biological explanations, worked to institutionalize racism.  The distinction that race is imposed by people, despite the fact that it does not truly exist, is perhaps Foner’s most important point.  It is also important to note that racial hierarchy stems from a history of immigration laws in the US that fostered such sentiments.

I find it interesting that this line of thinking – one in which lighter skin color is preferred – is prevalent in other races, as well; for example, South and East Asian cultures market skin-whitening creams, and value individuals who are lighter in color for their fair complexion.

Conversely, the immigrants of today are those “of color” (142), as Foner describes.  It is, however, interesting to note that the black-white distinction exists even today, whereas Italians and Jews who were previously considered as ‘other’, rather than white, were able to gain acceptance into this racial classification.  Foner attributes this change to the amelioration in socioeconomic status of these immigrants.  As they settled and progressively elevated their financial status, these immigrants seem to become ‘whiter’.

This chapter went very well with our class tour of the LES Tenement Museum. As I was reading Nancy Foner’s descriptions of the conditions that the immigrants had to face, I was immediately taken back to the cramped spaces and tight households of the tenements. Though words can manufacture very vivid descriptions, and Foner’s descriptions did provoke sharp imagery of the trying conditions that the early immigrants had to face upon their arrival to the United States, the tour of the Tenement Museum really helped me fully grasp the harsh extent of the difficulties, struggle, and inconveniences that welcomed unsuspecting immigrants. The tight spacing, the high ratio of people per square footage, and the dangerous conditions could not have been underestimated. Today, this issue of inconvenient housing and lifestyles can be circumvented much easier than during the time of the early wave of immigration. This is because more and more immigrants that come here bring with them established credentials and already-perceived statuses that help them find immediate, or at least inevitable stability. In addition to this, a lot of the immigrants are also coming here from the applications of family members that have already settled down with stable living conditions. I connected this with my own family, too. When my mom first came here with her brothers, they had to live in trying conditions similar to those described. There were too many people trying to make do in a small apartment, with only one bathroom. In contrast to this, when my uncles came here to America only a few years ago, they did not face any of these hardships. They stayed with us and were spared the burden of finding somewhere to stay, as they received a kind of help that my mother did not have, since she was one of the first in her family to come here.

On a separate note, it is always interesting to see how immigrants come to America and how they choose to settle down. Neighborhoods sort of just spring up and gradually, but naturally, start to be populated with one dominating culture. Of course, shifts occur constantly as people move in and out, yet there is always an easily perceived pattern in the changes that occur. Suffice to say, immigration and the cultural diversity it brings remains a topic of great wonder and intrigue.

– Nadera Rahman

Chapter 1 of Nancy Foner’s From Ellis Island to JFK offered many valid points that I agreed with and was able to personally connect with. I found her discussion on the separate waves of immigration to be very elucidating, accurate, and necessary. While both waves of immigration came with people from foreign countries seeking a better life and more opportunities, the outcomes and expectations differed greatly between the two. Immigrants from the earlier wave came to America with very little specific expectations, but rather, a general hope to find a better life. They came here with very little, and thus, their ultimate goals were inevitably reached, some way or other. These immigrants were naturally more satisfied with their American experience and could probably boast of having achieved the American Dream.

In contrast to this, the second wave of immigration came with people from foreign countries with equally high hopes of having a better life, but with the difference being that many were already established and educated. They brought their talents, education, and skills here to America, and thus, they had specific goals and expectations to reach. I liked how Nancy Foner approached this idea and explained that while many of these immigrants are very well qualified, they find it hard to break through racial conflicts or long-held stereotypes. In consequence, they are left working at jobs that undermine their true skills and are left feeling like they did not achieve the American Dream. Ultimately, this is not their fault, but rather the impenetrable system that society has constructed. I connected with this well because my own father has suffered from the exact same situation that Foner described. My father was a doctor in Bangladesh and though he left behind his family and his friends, he brought with him his education, with hopes of becoming a doctor in America. He had no doubts at all and though he was afraid of how he would adjust to the new society, because of all the glamorized stories he’d heard of America, he was certain that one way or other, he would be able to achieve his goal. Now, 20 years later, after relentless studying, exams, and attempts, my father was unable to reach this goal, not because he was not qualified or educated enough, but because of the petty hindrances that came from a foreign country.

Despite this, though, my father states that although he was unable to achieve his goal, even though he had come here with such high hopes, he still believes that life in America has given him more opportunities and more stability than he could have hoped for back home. I think that this general conclusion is the same for most of the immigrants from this second wave of immigration, and this is the reason that people still want to come to America for that better life.

– Nadera Rahman

In her article, “How Exceptional is New York?”, Nancy Foner discusses diversity in New York City, as well as its respective positive and negative features. As the two most prominent cultural hubs in the nation, Foner focuses particularly on immigration in New York City and Los Angeles, with substantial more emphasis on the former. She states that immigration promotes diversity and cooperation within different races. According to her, “New York’s remarkable ethnic and racial diversity, its immigration history, and its institutions have combined to make it a receiving city, in many ways, like no other in the United States” (Foner 1000). She emphasizes the diversity of New York City in countless ways, by highlighting its extensive ethnic diversity due to the immigrant population, as well as the many features that come with varying cultural diversity. Among such include, “the heterogeneity of skills” (1002), as well as how “officials and social service agencies actively promote events to foster ethnic pride and glorify the city’s multi-ethnic character and multi-ethnic history” (1004).

Despite the many wonderful attributes that racial diversity brings to further enrich New York City, there are still unavoidable tensions and downsides. The multitude of ethnicities and races make way for stereotypes as well as racial constructions, as “perceptions of race and ethnicity in New York [are] shaped by national trends and developments” (1004). In addition to this, there is an issue of self-identity as one may begin to question what race one really belongs to, as well as persisting tensions among various races.

Essentially, Foner explains that while cultural diversity in New York City is something that is remarkable and an inherent feature of the city, it also brings a plethora of issues that can’t be ignored or circumvented. Despite this, diversity is still something beautiful. Although the city heralds more diversity and thus more open views on various cultures than many areas in the country, we can hope that one day, the vision of the city will spread throughout the entire nation.

– Nadera Rahman

In chapter two of From Ellis Island to JFK, Foner describes where immigrants live.  She described where different groups lived initially and where they moved to.  The earlier immigrants lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan; however, they started moving from Manhattan to other areas.  Newer immigrants coming in could often support a suburban home life.

Something I found interesting about this chapter is Foner’s description of the old ethnic neighborhoods.  Now, immigrants tend to live less in these types of neighborhoods; however, many of these neighborhoods still exist.  She describes old Little Italy with people speaking Italian, signs in stores advertising in Italian, and newspapers in Italian.  Most people would speak Italian, priests would be Italian, and banks would be Italian.  People living here would hold celebrations for their favorite saints where they would eat typical Italian foods.  Ultimately, they felt more at home because they were surrounded by people with their background.  I found this interesting because as I read it I could picture Little Italy in Manhattan.  It is very similar to this description although it may incorporate some diversity and the English language.  Foner describes other past neighborhoods like this as well including Jewish Brownsville and Chinatown.

I also found the descriptions of more contemporary housing interesting.  More immigrants are able to afford better housing because they came over with some education or were able to get loans.  In the 1980s Foner visited immigrants’ homes that had modern furnishings and appliances and were kept up.  Still, she describes even in that time there were more cramped living styles where someone would rent out rooms or beds in their apartment to help incoming immigrants.  Fortunately, better housing options are available today and neighbors are often helpful, but people still struggle.

After visiting the Tenement Museum, I was initially able to picture in my head exactly what the tenements Foner described looked like.  These were much different than what the television crews and media portrayed them as, until Jacob Riss and his book How the Other Half Lives.  It was surprising to me to hear that todays living conditions, for the poor immigrants from third world countries are being compared to those of this time.  Thinking back on it though, the tenements were closed during the 1930s because of government regulation of the living conditions, and because most of the tenements did not abide by these laws they were forced to close.  The government believed that a safer alternative to these unsafe tenements were other communities, known as the projects.  The projects today are known are to be less safe neighborhoods where more lower income families live today.  It is unfortunate that immigrants are still forced to live in unsafe apartments where they face more and larger burdens than those that live elsewhere throughout the city.

As opposed to the immigrants of the 1900s immigrants of today are able to move the the United States with a job set up and able to support and middle to low middle class family.  During the 10–s an immigrant had to move to the areas throughout the city with the most job opportunities so one would be able to work to make ends meet somehow.  During this time the amount of Italian and Jewish immigrants moving in to the city was very high, and although they were never topographically living in close quarters, they experienced the same things.  The Italian and Jewish immigrants lived mainly around 14th street, and in those unsafe  tenements.  Immigrants also set up ‘ghettos’ which still exist today.  Today however they are less homogenous as young and single adults are moving into areas such as Chinatown.

This chapter brought to my attention some interesting facts that I had not known before.  I like how Foner focused deeply on the differences between the immigrants of the early and mid 1900s and todays immigrants.  By comparing the two I was able to fully recognize their differences and understand their journeys and reasons for coming to the United States of America.  The differences in the type of immigrant from the earlier times to those of the later, and modern times were surprising.  I knew that the immigrants from the 1900s came from different areas than those that are primarily coming today.  Recently a wide variety of culture groups have been arriving in the United States and especially New York, this includes Asians, particularly Chinese; Filipino, West Indians, Hispanics, Russians and many more.  During the 1900s more Europeans had come into the United States through Ellis Island, with much less requirements than are around for those immigrating to the United States today.  Today there are much more, and a greater variety of requirements for those looking to move into this country.  It is a long process and throughout this chapter it became evident that illegal immigrants today, generally, had higher job positions than legal documented immigrants.  Learning this surprised me, because I assumed that the legal immigrants would be those who held high positions in their native country and have the money to move to the United States.

Another interesting fact was chain immigration and the idea of people following lead.  From other readings, I have learned that immigrants would write to their families and tell them of all the amazing this of the New World.  It came as a new realization that those postcards would be seen by people who were not members of the family and perhaps people working in delivering the mail.  This effect of chain immigration is a reason for many of the happenings during the 1900s and even today regarding immigration.

I found it interesting that Foner expounds upon the myths and realities regarding where American immigrants live.  Oftentimes, immigrant stereotypes stem from misconceptions about their living conditions.  Foner’s incorporation of Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives further reiterates the stereotype that immigrants live in squalor and filth.  After visiting the LES Tenement Museum, I now have a better understanding of the living standards that Foner is referencing.  The immigrants of today, however, live in middle class areas; Foner attributes this difference to the fact that they arrive with more skills, and can therefore take on jobs that support such standards.  It thus becomes clear that the new wave of immigrants is more diverse in terms of class, as well as ethnicity.

A new trend among today’s immigrants is to move right in into the suburbs rather than the city first; Foner takes note that today’s immigrants are “not on the fringes” (55) of the affluent neighborhoods into which they are moving.  Further, the creation of polyethnic neighborhoods has largely prevented the formation of neighborhoods that are predominantly inhabited by one particular ethnic group.  “Little India” in Jackson Heights, as Foner details, is simply an amalgamation of businesses rather than residents.

I also found it interesting that commuting in New York was difficult, slow, and long, prior to the opening of the subways.  Today, I take it for granted that the trains are efficient – most of the time!

– Immigrants now live in more residentially dispersed areas, necessarily with coethincs; this stands in stark contrast to the “residential segregation” (40) present in 1920.  How do the residents of such neighborhood get along with their new neighbors?

-“Often forgotten in a haze of nostalgia are the grim realities of grinding poverty and tenement life.”

To think that a television special depicted a lady playing Mrs. Santa landing in the Lower East Side at the turn of the century and renting “a well- furnished, clean and rather spacious apartment,” was a blatant insult to those who actually lived in tenements at this time. To try and make it seem as though tenement life was ideal is to essentially ignore what the immigrants at the turn of the century had to endure. Yes the conditions aren’t something appeasing to describe but they need to be acknowledged. If it wasn’t for what the early immigrants endured in tenement apartments, who is to say that the state of lower/middle class apartments would have improved to what they are today. Multiple windows for ventilation, inside toilets and showers weren’t always a given in places of residence.

-In the summer, “except when it rained, my youngest sister and I slept on the fire escape.”

After visiting the tenement museum I couldn’t grasp how such large families could all find a place to sleep. When only half of the class was standing in a tenement apartment, it was very crowded. However, after reading that some resorted to sleeping on the fire escape, this reality only made tenement life worst. How could sleeping on a fire escape possibly be safe or good for one’s health? Then in cases where a tenement didn’t have a fire escape, did people just sit up in a chair in order to go to sleep if there wasn’t any room to lie down?

-“The massive number of immigrants arriving in recent years has helped many deteriorating neighborhoods make a comeback.”

Nowadays, people seem to forget the true nature of vitality that immigrants bring to the US, when they come. However, the fact that Foner highlighted upon the neighborhoods immigrants have migrated to and thereby turned into a thriving community once again, spoke volumes. Immigrants are just as valuable to America as native-born citizens are.  Immigrants not only integrate their culture and cuisine but also help to uplift the economic state of once desolate neighborhoods that natives have deserted.

-I thought it was interesting how many New Yorkers have the idea that new immigrants live in poor ethnic neighborhoods and slum conditions. This belief is partially true. For example, there are reports of Mexican immigrants inhabiting tunnel-like spaces behind buildings in Washington Heights and Koreans renting bedspace by time. However, while some immigrants continue to live in “squalid housing,” many immigrants skip this step and move into lower-middle class neighborhoods. This is because they have entered the United States with the skills and resources that would support this type of lifestyle.

– I found that tenement life in the place was deplorable. The apartments were divided into small rooms in which families had no choice but to sleep anywhere, such as on the ground and on chairs. Furthermore, there were no private bathrooms, or running water. I was able to see this conditions firsthand on the trip to the LES Tenement Museum. I was shocked to see the bathroom which only consisted of a dirty toilet and to hear that they were forced to shower in communal baths.

-Despite living in grim conditions, immigrants tried their best to make their apartments visually appealing. “Immigrants often went to great lengths to clean and decorate their apartments, fixing up their parlors with curtains, mirrors, and bric-a-brac.” This was evident in the Tenement Museum. I saw layers of linoleum on the floor and multiple layers of wallpaper on the walls.

-I was shocked to learn that the Jews faced Anti-Semitism and were openly excluded from Jackson Heights (when this neighborhood began). It’s ironic that this immigrant group left their homeland to escape discrimination, and they still came to face it in New York.

-I was intrigued to learn that the Jews and Italians were rarely neighbors. “Most blocks were heavily dominated, if not exclusively populated, by one or the other immigrant group.” Why did this occur? Why couldn’t there be interracial mixing of neighborhoods?

– I thought it was interesting that Foner mentioned that Richmond Hill is an enclave for East Indian immigrants. This area is dubbed “Little Guyana” since many Guyanese immigrants live here.  Being Guyanese, I used to visit this area every week when I was small. This area actually did feel like “Little Guyana” since there are many West Indian stores located on this avenue. Furthermore, many Guyanese residents would walk the avenue every weekend to do their grocery shopping and to socialize.

The first thing that caught my attention was that Foner mentions at length Jacob Riis’ work How the Other Half Lives, which is on our reading list. I have not had a chance to read it yet, however it is certainly interesting to read about the drastic differences between Riis’ experiences in the late 1800’s to today’s immigrant patterns. Foner discusses how in modern times, immigrants don’t always end up in crowded housing like they did years before. Many immigrants are able to immediately move into more expensive housing than they would have been able to in Riis’ time, and even those who aren’t don’t live in squalor the way they did earlier. Single-ethnic communities do exist, but now so do heavily mixed communities even within new immigrants. My question is, is this simply because those arriving are socioeconomically better off than their predecessors or are there other factors in play here?

As Foner did in the first chapter by describing specific immigrants group and who they are, why the came here, and how they were received when they did, Foner goes on to describe the specific groups in relation to where and how they lived after they first arrived. She says that “despite grim conditions” many immigrants decorated their apartments a lot. And although many were living in close quarters with many others in their families, they often took on more people to live with them to make more money. Foner says that there were many problems with the boarders that people took on, including jealousy in marriage if a boarder became attracted to the host’s wife.

I particularly liked the following lines “The reasons why millions have left their homelands to come to America are complex and multifaceted. It has always been too simple to see immigration to this country as a quest for liberty and freedom. Nor is the move inevitably an escape from hunger and want, as the occupational backgrounds of many of today’s newcomers make clear” (9). I have always wondered at the American stance on those who emigrate to here because as we know from the past, and as Foner points out, those who came didn’t always (or even usually) find equality or freedom.

Foner discusses the different groups who have come to America, and their subgroups. This, I think, is an interesting and more correct way of looking at things as often times peoples who are vastly different are still lumped together when talking about American immigration. She mentions the variety in not only ethnicity, but also in socio-economic classes and occupations which has been discussed in various other readings this semester.

Foner discusses illegal immigration and states that the ratio of the undocumented to the legal foreign-born is low, even in New York City. She goes on to state that those immigrants who do come here, aren’t always the scum of their former countries as some may assume, often they have college degrees.

-In this chapter, Foner focuses on where immigrants came from, why they came, and how they arrived. It was interesting to learn of the different reasons as to why immigrants left their home country. Some immigrants were escaping political and religious oppression while others were escaping a bad economy. It is interesting to note that many of these factors that influence immigrants to leave their hometown are similar to those of immigrants in the past, the Russian Jews and the Italians.

-Foner mentions that those that are highly educated and that held high professional jobs in their homeland sometimes come to this country and take jobs that they are overqualified for. Is this because their licenses from their home country do not work in this United States? If so, I don’t see why they cannot practice their profession in the U.S. if they are qualified. Is there a way for these immigrants to keep their high professional jobs in the United States instead of having to work up the “ladder?”

-I was surprised to learn that a Brazilian woman who worked as a nurse in her homeland was paid less than the salary she received as a babysitter in the United States. This shows how bad the economy is in their homelands and why the immigrants chose to leave their homeland for a better opportunity in the United States.

-I was appalled to learn of the immigrant journey to the United States. “Passengers were crammed together in dark, crowded, unsanitary, and foul-smelling quarters on tiers of iron bunks with straw mattresses.” They had to pick insects out of their food and were forced to use vile bathrooms. They were living like animals during a trip that lasted around two weeks. What was shocking was that they were not traveling illegally; it was a legal immigration process! This is a drastic comparison as to how people now travel to the United States by an airplane. It was mentioned that an undercover agent from the Immigration Commission was on one of these voyages. Did her report make a significant change to these unsanitary conditions?

-I found it ridiculous that people in the past were denied entry to the United States because they were illiterate or they had physical injury. I was shocked to learn that Matteo, an immigrant from Italy, was denied entry to the United States by Italy because he had an injured eye. Restrictions into the country shouldn’t be based on literacy or physical injury.

-Anissa Daimally

-Foner did a really good job dispelling many known misconceptions regarding trends in immigration. I felt as though it was really important for her to say that not all immigrants who come to the US are poor as the quote of the Statue of Liberty helps attest to. Such a belief lessens the great nation that the US is by essentially labeling America as the poor man’s country. America is just as prominent of a magnet for the intellectual, innovative classes of immigrants as for those without. As Foner states, “the ethnic diversity of today’s immigrant population is matched by the variety of their occupational and class backgrounds.” Not only are there the poor farmers but physicians and scientists as well.

-The section in which Foner depicts how most immigrants came was really an eye opener. The depiction of the immigrants on the steerage part of the ship was deplorable: un-mopped compartments, worm infestations, foul odor. It made me wonder how after such a traumatic experience did these immigrants manage to pass the health test to gain citizenship. Then, on the ship where the Immigration Commission sent out an agent to investigate these conditions, did the agent realize a large amount of immigrants present on these ships fail physical health test? If so what were the numbers?

-When I read that steamship companies had resorted to conducting their own test on immigrants, I felt as though who are they to judge who will get rejected citizenship. I understand that it cost money to return rejected immigrants but was it really that much of a burden. I find it very suspicious that the Italian ports rejected more than 35,000 intending emigrants compared to the much smaller number of 4,707 rejected at Ellis Island between 1904 and 1905.

-Ashley Haynes

– Why are undocumented Dominican immigrants more likely to have been professionals and managers in the Dominican Republic?  This point seems counterintuitive to me, especially since Foner made a point about the “the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor…[being] unmoved or unable to move” (p. 15).

– Immigrants that are well educated sometimes cannot find a job in America that matches their qualifications; they thus take up jobs for which they are are underpaid and overqualified.  How can this discrepancy be resolved?  Is it possible to reconcile the exapnsion of higher education with high-level jobs?

– Foner highlights the stark contrast between the migrants from the first wave of immigration in the United States and the immigrants of today.  I found it particularly interesting that the immigrants of today come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.  Foner draws attention to the fact that newcomers to America include both those that are lightly educated and those that are low-skilled and poorly educated.  Over the years, I have noticed that my own group of friends and family that came from India or Pakistan occupy a wide range of occupations and usually have “high levels of educational attainment,” as Foner elucidates in Chapter 1, thus adhering to the truth of this statement.

– I found the description of the migration process as a movement that is “self-perpetuating” to be quite interesting.  This characterization sheds light upon the way in which immigration patterns of the past exert an influence on present immigration patterns.  I see this fact readily apparent in the ways in which a large majority of my own family and acquaintances have come to New York: those that are already here sponsor other family and friends, and also encourage them with their favorable descriptions.

Nancy Foner defines multiculturalism as the coexistence of plural cultures or cultural diversity, and discusses the peculiar and unique way in which New York has evolved according to this multiculturalism.  She brings up an interesting point that what happens in New York has the potential to bring on great change throughout the United States of America.  Our one super diverse city put together of thousands and millions of people has the ability to make a change throughout the whole nation, which includes much more people.  This makes sense though because whether or not the immigrants are moving out of New York today, about 10% of all foreign born people throughout the nation have at one point within their lives lived in New York City, and this is not counting people who migrated to New York City from other states.  However, New York is not representative of the whole United States as people are characterized differently in different part throughout the nation.  Non-Hispanic-whites for example are known as ‘white’ in New York, while they are known as Anglo in California.  This brings up an interesting point, that even though New York City maybe the most multicultural city in the nation, it does not sum up our country, it is one sect of it.  New York seems to still hold true the idea of the ‘United States,’ whose streets were said to paved with gold and accepting everyone no matter where they come from.  This is especially true when some compare Los Angeles to NYC, in New York there is more appreciation for foreigners, while in LA there is a cool and put off attitude when it comes to foreigners.  In New York City, even political leaders have reached out to accommodate those foreign born, and parades and festivals, made possible through social service agencies, are held for almost all of the cultural groups.

Everyone knows that New York City is the way it is because of the people that come into it, but I did find Foner’s way of explaining why the City is so unique to be quite interesting. Firstly, Foner stated that the mixing of nationalities is the root of having both high and low skilled workers in NYC. I think this is an interesting way to look at things because essentially this means that Foner thinks that immigrants from certain countries will have higher skilled workers than others. I don’t know if I fully agree with this, but I do think that it’s an interesting way to look at things. Secondly, Foner explored the perceptions of race and ethnicity. Foner stated that what was going on in the entirety of the United States influenced what went on in New York City in addition to the influence from the immigrants constantly pouring into NYC. I think that perceptions, especially pre-perceptions and stereotypes, are really important to think about when thinking about New York City because there are so many different types of people living among each other and if all one does is think about what a person is supposed to be like based off their ethnicity, then it is impossible to get to know a person. In all, I found Foner’s reading to be truthful.

Foner wrote that the immigrant experience is shaped by the city people live in and the effects of particular social, political, and economic institutions and structures on the options available to these people.  She also said that there are other influences, such as the immigrants’ skill composition, the diversity of the groups, and the timing of arrival.  I agree with Foner on these aspects, and I believe that part of the reason that many immigrants thrive in New York City is because it is so rich in these institutions.  For example, New York City is a huge economic center in the country with many large and small businesses thriving.  There are also many educational opportunities here.

I thought it was interesting to see that different areas of the country consider there to be different degrees of “Blackness.”  This can cause people in different cities to push against the negative stereotypes that many black people face.  This can be beneficial to our country.  I also found it interesting to see that there is a separation among the different Latino or Hispanic groups.  Different parts of the country prefer either of the terms.  Also, within these groups, the smaller subgroups of nationalities often do not want to be associated with one another.

Foner: How Exceptional is New York?

QUESTION

1. On pg.1008, it states that there is a dominance of Cubans who are phenotypically white or light skinned in the Miami metropolitan area. When they identify themselves as white, how does the census account for this? How are they are able to report that actual native Cubans claim to be white? Does the government essentially take the reported data in the returned census forms with a grain of salt? Do they send out workers to estimate the validity of these forms?

2. If someone is born from an interracial couple, how do they factor in when they are included in the population count via their census forms? Isn’t there just as many interracial individuals as there are people born from parents of the same race?

Comments:

-New York, the mecca of America, is the quintessential immigrant city with a long history of ethnic succession and immigrant inclusion. New York’s history shows that foreign-born individuals help to add diversity to our country and people in hindsight seem not to mind. People from all walks of life always gather for events such as the West Indian Day Parade, as the article mentioned. As a result, I don’t understand why political leaders refuse to agree on national immigration legislation. Congress passed the Dream Act. Why can’t the same be done for immigration laws?

-Although their actions were very subtle, Mayor Bloomberg and former Mayor Fiorello Laguardia helped pave forth the New York welcoming way. Mayor Bloomberg didn’t necessarily have to hold a campaign spot in Spanish but understanding the demographic make-up of the city, he accommodated. Likewise, former Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia didn’t just speak in the native language of the immigrant population; by visiting Israel, Italy and Ireland, he showed his intentions were pure by going firsthand to learn the culture of his newly migrated citizens.

– Foner’s article draws attention to the fact that the census is only as accurate as the information volunteered by those filling it out.  Foner cites the example of light-skinned Cubans in Miami who identified themselves as white on the 2000 Census so as to disassociate themselves from the stigma of “less successful” (1008) Hispanics.  I have a light-skinned Cuban friend who attests to this disassociation; he remarks that, in Cuba, he always identified himself as white – personally and on paper.  However, in New York, he finds himself checking off “Hispanic” when filling out the ethnicity box on forms.  This change, he explains, is driven mostly by the fact that he realizes others here view him as Hispanic.  It thus becomes clear that cultural views of race shape an individual’s self-perception and play a pivotal role in explaining why the census may or may not be completely accurate.

– Foner’s discussion about the second generation’s interactions with native whites and minorities sheds light upon cultural assimilation patterns that vary among ethnic groups.  Foner points out that the formation of multi-ethnic groups emerges as students from different backgrounds develop friendships with one another and consequently form “a new kind of multiculturalism” (1017).  This type of inclusion is a marked characteristic of New York, perhaps validating the exceptional nature of this city.  Foner highlights the City University of New York as one manifestation of this type of multiculturalism.  Indeed, the diversity of CUNY students is made readily apparent by the variety of languages that can be heard spoken in the halls of Hunter!  Further, new immigrants to New York are provided with a multitude of educational opportunities through the CUNY system.

– How can students access demographic information about second generation children and their lifestyle choices?  How can a researcher gather such information to gain unskewed data?

Questions
1. There are four main groups of ethnicity according to Foner: Asian, White, Black and Hispanic. On many college applications, these are the only choices given to students to check off. What if you do not belong to any of these ethnicities? How does one define himself/herself?
2. Why is there a feud between African Americans and Hispanics? These two groups are competing for representation but is there another reason for the conflict?
3. Why is it that Los Angeles has more unskilled foreign workers than high-skilled foreign workers?

Comments
– The feud between African Americans and Hispanics seem to occur more in states in the Southwest and in Miami, Florida. Foner explains that these two groups are “in direct competition for representation on school boards and city councils and in other local arenas of power.” I feel that is wrong for some African American leaders to reject “the legitimacy of Latinos’ calls for affirmative action, arguing that it was created to redress the wrongs of slavery, not to benefit immigrants, and that Latinos are latecomers who did not engage in civil rights struggles.” Latinos did take part in the civil rights movement, such as the Chicano Movement. They fought for their civil rights, just as the African Americans did.
-Whenever I took state exams or filled out my college applications, I was asked to mark down my race/ethnicity. However, my race was not present on the forms. Because of this, I felt that my race did not matter. I feel that there should be more options for race and ethnicity.
-I found it interesting that Los Angeles has more unskilled foreign workers than high-skilled foreign workers. New York, however, has an equal ratio of unskilled foreign workers to high-skilled foreign workers.