John Safy, Matthew Franks, Nathaniel Anacta, Bessie Kimelfeld, Martin Tang
There are around 3.13 million Russian American legal citizens in the United States of America. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the majority of Russian citizens reside in the New York Metropolitan Area. Russian culture is very prominent in many neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Staten Island especially. The history and culture of the Russian people, and their immigration to America is thus important to understand, not only because of how prominent the community is within our city, but also because it gives us a varied lens as to all the different types of immigration groups; the wealthy, the poor, and the refugees. According to the United States Census Bureau, there are around 409,000 legal Russian born residents within the United States, either citizens or green card holders. In 2013 there were 41.3 million foreign born citizens in the United States, meaning Russian born citizens made up about 1% of the total U.S. foreign born. Russians are a minority within the U.S. immigrant population, not even breaking the top ten countries of origin for immigrants in 2010, a list which included Mexico, India, and China, amongst others.
Russians immigrated to America fairly recently, however, due to a mix of push and pull factors, they have built up a large presence over the course of two hundred years (Chukov). Initially, Russians had little incentive to move to America, however, beginning the optimistic Homestead Act and later, the reign of the autocratic Alexander III and the Soviet Regime, they have become an integral part of America’s immigration history. Russian immigration occurred in three waves and one stagnation. Prior to 1860, there were no true incentives for Russians to emigrate. However, there was a s
mall spike between 1860 to 1869 in Russian persons attempting to attain legal permanent status from 423 to 1670 (Chukov). This can attributed to the introduction of the Homestead Act in 1862 which promised applicants land at little to no cost. Almost immediately thereafter, the first surge in immigration occurred starting with the reign of Czar Alexander III.
The second wave of immigration ironically occurred as result of the people’s response to Czar Alexander the III’s autocratic rule. Around 1917-1922, the October Revolution and eventually the Russian Civil war created a strong push factor for what became known as “white emigres” to leave Russia in favor of America. The reasons for this emigration are varied, but the predominant reasons included the severely damaged economy, prosecution of Czarist supporters and eventually, the political turmoil that followed due to problems faced by a newly formed government. Between 1910 and 1919, immigration jumped to over 1 million, until eventually, the number tapered off to less than 100,000 in 1920. The revolutions had ended, and the Soviet Union had begun. In this time, emigration was prohibited and only political dissidents and refugees were able to leave the country, and the Russian immigrating population had maintained numbers around 20,000. However, there was a noticeable peak in 1970s under what became known as the Brezhnev stagnations where liberal minded Leonid Brezhnev (often criticized by Soviet hard liners) instituted perestroika and laxed Soviet control. Again, immigration rates jumped up until finally in 1990, the Soviet Union collapsed. Aside from the obvious allowance for emigration, economic hardships and political turmoil eventually created a push factor for Russians at the time until eventually immigration rates resumed in the 400,000 range. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s being the most recent cause of an influx in Russian immigrants in New York, it should be expected that the population of Russian immigrants will differ in age composition when compared to groups that arrived in the recent decade in search of job opportunities. Indeed, of the approximately seventy-four thousand Russian foreign-born, 23.6 percent of the group is age 65 or older, more than ten percent higher than that of the native-born population and about eight percent higher than average of foreign-born. Furthermore, 40.4 percent of the Russian foreign-born population is between the age of 45 and 64, which is more than double that of the native-born populations and about five percent more than the average for the foreign-born. Aside from showing a difference in reason for immigration (in the case of Russian immigrants, seeking refuge) this lean towards the older age group seen in the Russian foreign-born population is also indicative of a lack of new Russian immigrants (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny2013/nny_2013.pdf).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 american community Survey-Public use Microdata sample
Today, Russian immigrants total to about 14,000, per US Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics, which makes it the 16th largest such group in New York City. Making up that number include immigrants who are here due to a variety of means of entry: refuge and asylum, diversity visas, employment visas, immediate relatives, and Family preferences. Refugees and asylees are allowed to come to America as long as they can prove they have, which is defined by the Refugee Act of 1980 as, “well founded fear of persecution.” So, today in Russia we see many decisions made by their government that can be deemed detrimental to specific groups the population. For example, the gay community is targeted in Russia, and the government has been known to respond to it with very little care. Problems like this could cause one to flee their country and seek refuge in a more accepting place, such as New York. The other ways immigrants can come to America are more intuitive and straight to the point, not as ambiguous as refugee status. Each one has a certain quota set by the US government and therefore too many people cannot come in to the US. However, from places like Russia where we do not see an overwhelming amount of immigrants, the numbers are not as strictly set. Essentially, the most common ways immigrants come to America are through refuge, job opportunity, or re-joining family members that are already here.
Worker Origin, NYC – Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey-Public use Microdata sample
Household Income Status by Country of Birth, NYC 2011 – Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 american community Survey-Public use Microdata sample
English Language Proficiency and Educational Attainment by Country of Birth, NYC 2011 – Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey-Public use Microdata sample
Although the Russian foreign-born population has a high percentage of educational attainment (90.9 percent high school graduates as compared to the native-born 86.6 percent and average foreign-born 72.2 percent), the median Russian household makes around thirty-seven thousand dollars, less than both the native-born and foreign-born medians of around fifty-five thousand and forty-four thousand respectively. This dissonance, when compared to the generally accepted association of wealth to education, can be explained by looking back at the small households of the Russian foreign-born population, each on average having only one worker Successful integration of New York’s foreign-born population seems unlikely based on the discussed demographics. While this population possesses a socio-economical traits favorable for integration, the generally older age of the population diminishes the effects of said traits as immigrants begin to retire. Furthermore, the existence of dense niches reduce the need for the adaptation of the English; the rate of non-English proficient foreign-born Russians exceeds sixty percent (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny2013/nny_2013.pdf). Many Russians are bilingual, but choose to speak Russian at home and generally rely on Russian media for news (http://www.ameredia.com/resources/demographics/russian.html) .
Brooklyn’s neighborhoods of Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay hold New York City’s largest Russian population. A primary appeal for Russians is the beautiful Atlantic Ocean water by which these communities are surrounded, because it brings back memories of home ports in former Soviet cities like Odessa. In fact, Brighton Beach is sometimes even referred to as “Little Odessa” for this reason. The quiet setting of Sheepshead Bay makes the area peaceful and attractive, especially for those who want to raise families (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/realestate/calm-and-clamor-in-equal-measure-living-insheepshead-bay-brooklyn.html). Russian signs on businesses and stores, and Russian workers at restaurants and food shops make Russian immigrants feel welcome in their environment, and this draws them to these neighborhoods. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many struggled financially, and cheap housing areas like Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay were, therefore, popular destinations for Russian immigrants to settle in. In Brighton Beach, the St. Petersburg Bookstore and The Millennium Theater are perhaps the cultural centers that Russian immigrants most frequently visit. The bookstore is the largest known bookseller outside of Russia, serving as a hub for those studying the Russian language and culture and also providing leisure reading to those simply seeking a relaxing form of entertainment. The Millennium Theater is where Russians often go to be reminded of home with performances from their favorite actors, singers, composers, and operas who visit from Russia. The theater, for the Russian community, is practically analogous to Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Brighton Beach is particularly popular because of its desirable location near the subway, the Atlantic Ocean, and Coney Island amusement parks. Similar to Brighton Beach, warmer winters and cooler summers which the nearness to the ocean provides make Sheepshead Bay a winner location for Russians to settle in. Ned Berke, the editor of the local news blog Sheepshead Bites, claims that the more varied housing, shopping, and dining options outdo the nearby residential communities of Mill Basin and Bergen Beach, while the quiet and less populated environment are what make Sheepshead Bay more appealing than large neighborhoods like Manhattan and areas surrounding it (Mooney). Overall, Russians have a long and unique immigration history with a diverse group settled in the New York City metropolitan area. By studying their immigration history, we can better understand what drives immigration, why certain locations are preferred, and what can be done to better assimilate Russian immigrants in the future.
Many of the constituencies of the Soviet Union still retained a similar cultural identity after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Immigration experiences from Ukraine were, therefore, similar to Russian immigration experiences. Below is an interview with an established Ukrainian immigrant to New York City that provides insight into the experiences of Soviet immigration. The interview has comments throughout that connect certain themes about immigration that we discussed in class to the experiences of this Ukrainian immigrant. Alternatively, these comments are also compiled below in a detailed analysis of the interview.
The interviewee in the audio, is a mother in her forties named Alla who immigrated to New York City from Ukraine shortly after graduating high school. The interview provides clarification on some of the topics discussed in class, such as the difficulty immigrants experience with finding jobs when they first come to the US, the extent to which immigrants choose to assimilate, and how “Americanized” they feel after living here for quite some time.
To summarize the interview, Allah first speaks about her voluntary immigration, mentioning that with the financial help from a Jewish organization called NYANA, she follows her sister’s immigration to New York, which takes place a couple of years before here own. Alla then moves on to discuss her integration experiences. In class, we mentioned the idea of cultural groups amongst immigrants, as well as assimilation. We discussed that while immigrants go to schools and have jobs in New York where they’re forced to partake in the norms of American culture, many have formed ethnic enclaves to identify with their unique cultures. For example, we spoke about the existence of Little Italy and Chinatown, popular New York City destinations where the Chinese and Italians stick to their home countries through language, food, clothing, and cultural rituals distinctly different from the Americans. In her interview, Alla, too, mentions that throughout college, it was easy for her to make friends because of the large number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union with whom she went to school. She mostly hung out with her Russian friends because those were the people she identified with, and, ultimately, the group that made her the most comfortable. This was also why Alla chooses to settle in New York City, specifically Brooklyn. Alla also mentions that while they were much fewer in number, she still did make American friends who helped her learn English and adapt to the American ways. And, this is true of ethnic enclaves like Chinatown and Little Italy in New York City as well. These areas, while different from the American culture, have over time, grown more comfortable with, and accepting of, the American ways, and now include a more varied population and culture with many restaurants speaking English and serving popular American foods like french fries and barbecue chicken.
Another interesting connection to what we discussed in class that can be seen in the interview with Alla is the difficulty that immigrants had with finding jobs when first coming to America, even those who held elite positions in their home country. Alla talks about her difficult experience with trying to find a job in the service industry. She expresses her frustration over the fact that no one would hire her in fast food or anywhere else without previous working experience. This is disheartening for Alla, because she is extremely well-educated and graduated from a very prestigious school in the Ukraine, and she was always under the impression that being a hard worker and receiving a good education would get her far in life. In the end, Alla did make use of her academic skills by inadvertently finding a tutoring job through her search for one in the fast food business. An interesting aspect of Alla’s experience with finding her first job is that she immediately turns to jobs in the services industry, and mentions that upon immigration, many of her friends do the same. We discussed in class the reasoning behind why the services industry is the target of immigrants when looking for jobs in the United States. A particularly interesting fact that we mentioned tin class is that the services industry requires less qualification than more academically-related professions such as practicing medicine or law or business. But, in Alla’s case, it was the services industry for which she failed to qualify. And, after all, it was her academics that led to her first paid job in the States.
Another part of the interview that stands out is Alla’s comment that she did not face any discrimination for being an immigrant. In class, we learned about xenophobia and nativism and how immigrants suffered greatly in the workforce and also socially as a result of anti-religious, anti-immigrant sentiment that took place in the United States in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It seems that by the time Alla got to New York, Americans were much more accepting of the increasing cultural diversity and not as threatened by it.
Overall, Alla’s interview about her immigration experience offers a rather authentic perspective of what life for an immigrant was like in America. It covers core concepts discussed in class, such as assimilation and lack thereof, the process of integration, nativism and anti-religious sentiment, discrimination, and the difficulty of finding work. It confirms that the process of integration really was challenging, because immigrants didn’t speak English, and their work qualifications from their home countries were often not accepted in the US, which made it difficult for many to find jobs other than in the service industry. It also shows that immigrant experiences can vary, because while discrimination and nativism affected some immigrants, it isn’t an experience that Alla had to deal with. The conclusion that can be drawn here is that immigration is a very intense subject with many facets that can still be explored.
Nicely done! In particular I like the way the interview was used to illustrate the concepts and personalize what was, up until that point, a developed focus on historical events and trends.