WE ARE NEW YORK

Sunny

Hey guys! My name is Sunny Aggarwal. People call me various names: “Sun Tan”, “The Sun” or “Sunny D.” I don’t really care (:D). I am a Chemical Engineering major at CCNY and wish to attend graduate school in order to out with the best possible career. For fun, I play basketball, badminton, and other different sports. Usually, though, at home I dabble in various RPG/Strategy games (not like a real gamer but just for fun). One other important activity that I always frequently like to do is hang out in different places (not just the city and locally but various unique locations (as seen in the picture above) in which I can tour around and see different attractions). Overall, I am a very chill guy and can’t wait to see the different neighborhoods that we will go in this semester. (=D)!!!

IMMIGRATION STORY

BLOG POSTS

Wonders of the Tenement Museum

If you think about immigration, what would you think of? Too much over the years? Should it be outlawed due to its effect on the job economy? Is there an importance of it? I was educated and taught these same views as you. Hence, throughout my life, I never realized how significant of an effect immigration had on New York City. However, the visit to the Tenement Museum, located in the heart of China Town in Lower Eastern Manhattan, not only modified my perceptions of immigration but also changed my overall view of more contemporary history in the USA.

When I first approached the Tenement Museum, I expected a contemporary standpoint (just written text) of the history of immigration. However, exceeding my expectations, there were stunning and graphic visuals representing the lives of these necessitous immigrants. We as a group entered the Sweat Shop, which was the primary exhibit of the Museum. Recreating all of the historical “data” in the late 19^th to mid 20^th century, the Sweat Shop conveyed the adversities of these immigrants that they endured with. The setting seemed extremely realistic and it had a big representation on the history of immigration. I felt that I was in part of their time period and it was very grateful for me to read about their historical endurances. These immigrants deserve much credit for their dedication and hard work that they have done in these small, cramped workplaces just to earn money for their family and for life! Hence, such a representable exhibit deserves credit to be able to show the true life of immigration in NYC!

BOOK REVIEW

From Ellis Island to JFK:

New York`s Two Great Waves of Immigration

Textbook Info: Foner, Nancy. From Ellis Island to JFK: New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. Print.

Introduction

This book contextualizes the very foundation of immigration that has occurred in the United States for many years. A detailed insight of the various races and their impact on the rulings of immigration is shown through a comparison of today’s immigrants’ comings versus the influx of immigrants that came from the 19^th to the 20^th century. By elaborating on the specific aspects or values such as: education, race, Americanization, etc., America’s “attitude” toward them are radically different than from any of the mistreatments that occurred even in the 1930s. This grandeur difference brings forth much innovative and horror facts/statistics about the growth in the lives of immigrants and their changes in social lifestyles!

Author’s Background

Nancy Foner, the author of this book, is a distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Interested in the idea of immigration, she explores Jamaicans in their predominant areas such as: their home places, New York, and others. Her particular area of study revolves around the comparative immigration movements in New York City today versus those in the past. Also, Professor Foner places many immigrant experiences in her works to convey a true meaning behind the radical change that immigration has had over the years. Such a theme is investigated in many of her novels –including From Ellis Island to JFK: New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration.

Many of her collaborative works have received worldwide recognition and various specialized awards for their meaning and elaborate, depth of study. Exemplifying an award, this book was the winner of the 2000 Theodore Saloutos Award of the Immigration and Ethnic Historic Society. Other notable works of hers include: In a New Land: A Comparative View of Immigration (received Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2006), Race, and Ethnicity in the United States (recipient of an Honorable Mention), and others. In addition to all of her writing activities, she has testified in several immigration conflicts and an editor of a plethora of immigration journals. Nancy has membership in several committees: Russell Sage Foundation Immigration Research Advisory Committee, the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island History Advisory Committee, and the Advisory Group of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. Due to her active participation of immigration throughout society, Nancy Foner received a Distinguished Career Award in 2010 and even gained acceptance to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences![1]

Book Analysis

Since a common theme in the novel revolves around the comparison of immigration in two waves (history versus today), a lot of research was involved in producing most of the information presented in the text! Breakdowns of shocking statistical data and immigrant experiences are conveyed for the reader to realize this impactful change that immigration has turned for our society! Therefore, as a preface of the text, Foner introduces profiles of the majority of immigrants that even stepped foot into the USA such as the Italians and Jews who coped with many acceptance problems in History. By exploring immigrants’ purpose in even entering (i.e. escaping from political oppression and seeking freedom), many unforeseen issues took place for them and some of these conflicts were even enforced by governmental laws!

One type of problem that occurred from this huge influx of immigration was “American Fever” and Foner connects this dynamic plague into the idea of “stings of prejudice.” The main reason for these issues were the mixtures of races entering America aside from the white skinned people. A source of data that Foner even provides to support her reasoning is that since many of the Italians spoke different languages and had different skin colors, they were discriminated against heavily including their physical characteristics and zealous need for money! Hence, their migration patterns in living in NYC varied greatly. In fact, she emphasizes on how immigrants could adopt to healthful and more modern apartments only after the 1900!

By using these comparisons between today’s immigrants’ living styles versus History’s immigrants’ living styles (i.e. ethnic enclosures/discourse communities), the readers realize the radical changes that actually occurred throughout time. Additionally, Foner provides various immigrant experiences (and giving credit to them in the “notes” section). Though this idea was portrayed in the beginning of the book (Chapter 2), it was again tied to the end of the book in “A Look Backward-and Forward.” The concept of introducing the change in the beginning and looking it as a whole in the end really captivated me in especially seeing the connections of the varying themes (i.e. Education, Living, Prejudice, etc.). Not only was the comparison of the two immigrant waves was provided but also variations in living between the immigrant groups (i.e. Jews, Asians, Italians, and others) were conveyed.

Exemplified in Chapters 2 and 7 of the novel, throughout most of the 20th century and continuing on today, Asians were generally much more educated than those of the other immigrant groups and even the white natives (who were considered at the time to be racially superior) since they were better financially off through businesses and physical work forces. Though Foner describes these job benefits that they received, her continued emphasis on adapting to a multicultural metropolis made me realize the adverse obstacles that had to be overcame to get at where they are today!

Conclusion

In more specific detail, all of these adverse difficulties are described throughout the book in order to focus on it one at a time. As a major point, one specific issue that came about for these Russian Jews immigrants and/or inferior races was maintenance of transnational ties to their countries; they had to utilize fundamental forms of technology to keep the relations going on in both countries. However, a rapid, modernization of communication forms allows immigrants to keep such contact easier like: video chats (popular among Asian families), quick airplane trips, and etc. These types of changes are portrayed throughout the book. Therefore, personally, my views of immigration have changed and became more insightful especially in relation to the plethora of racial barriers that immigrants had to endure even to settle in the entry point of JFK airport! Overall, this book would bring a lot of enjoy to the readers and be enthralling to read since they would enjoy seeing the major reshape and turning that immigration has done for our society!

[1] “Nancy Foner.” (Sociology Faculty)