Numbers do not lie, nor should they be ignored. If you compare the 5 major ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians), Asian Americans have the highest college degree attainment, highest rate of an advanced degree, median family income, % of working in the labor force, rate of working in "high skill" occupations, and median SEI score that measures job prestige. Overall, Asian Americans outperform whites. So much so that reputable magazines like Newsweek and shows like 60 minutes have described Asians as the "model minority". Does our society really treat Asian Americans that way?
Success may only be skin deep. Another telling statistic is how much more money a person earns with each additional year of schooling completed, or what sociologists call "returns on education." A white with a college degree can expect an increase of $2088 per year in salary. Whereas an Asian American with an additional year can expect only a $300 increase in yearly salary. What this means is that basically, a typical Asian American has to get more years of education just to make the same amount of money that a typical White makes with less education. Asian Americans still earn less money than Whites with virtually equal qualifications. Once again, for each statistic that suggests everything is picture-perfect for Asian Americans, there is another that proves otherwise.
Another example is that of many Asian immigrants who come to the U.S. with very high levels of education. But for various reasons (i.e., not being fluent in English), many are not able to get decent jobs that pay well. Therefore, they are forced to to work as janitors, waiters, busboys, or open their own businesses to survive. The only reason why many Asian small business owners are able to make a small profit is that they have to work over 20 hours a day.
Asian Americans have had to fight and overcome constant discrimination to take their piece of the American dream. It is time that America recognizes the contributions and successes of Asians in our communities. President Obama made history, not only as the first African-American president, but when he appointed 3 Asian Americans to his cabinet. It is about time, a long time waiting.
You must read news magazines and articles all the time. That is not my passion, but I'm glad to have your blogs to help me keep informed on issues that are so important to the education system and the culture in general. Many neighborhoods in Baltimore are becoming more culturally diverse...it seems that the Asian Americans are the last to arrive in many. As you reported they value education and tend to excell because of hard work. I have seen some unfortunate racism towards them in my last school.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the newer races in a neighborhood are targetted more with racism?
Do you have any statistical information that shows this tendency to be true or false?
I'm an American of Irish decent and we had quite a struggle when we first arrived here...what do you think?
Your writing is excellent and well supported by facts and details. have you ever thought of using some of your information in a fiction piece based on these facts? Could be a way to stretch your writing, I'm going to explore that genre in my next blog. Just a thought.
Wow, Do you read a lot of articles or do you do research to find the facts that support your writing pieces?
ReplyDeleteYour writing always has PLENTY of details to support your topic (this is something I am always telling my first graders I need more of ;-) ) My cousins are half Irish half Jamacian , some of them "look more Jamacian" and some of the girls "Look more Irish" It has been interested to watch them grow up and face different challenges. I am VERY Irish looking so it always seemed very interesting to me growing up when we would go out and do things the reactions my Aunt (my father's sister) would get from passerbyers.
Your writing is great and always excited to see what you write next. I wish I could write like you. You are well spoken and you always have facts to back up your opinions. I grew up in MA but I recently moved to Northern Maine. There is not a lot of diversity in this area, but I can say the people here really care about you. Each community supports everyone and if anyone needs help there are 5 people there to help. Sometimes I feel like I stepped back in time, but I am started to adjust and realize that this is the type of place I want to raise my children. A place where people care about one another and look after one another. It's great to drive down the road and have 5 people wave. Its great to go into the local grocery store and strike up conversations with the workers and pick up the conversation next visit. It takes a lot of adjusting but it is nice to know that people really do care about others, especially, since there is so much negative in the world. I hate watching the news and I do not keep up on current events. However, I have made dinners for families that had tragic events happen and have given gas money to those that need to drive 4 hours away to cancer treatments.
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