Hate Crimes on Rise at UC Berkeley

Hard to believe - in this day and age - but it is something to pay attention to:

UC Berkeley is reporting that hate crimes are up - including religious bias - such as swastikas etched around campus on dorm room doors, in restooms and in a study lounge.

The school has a diversity research center whose aim is to study and promote remedies for hate like this and against race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and socioeconomic status and it already has its plate full.

It's 2011 - dawning on 2012 and progress in acceptance has yet to be achieved in this country- home of the brave, land of the free, for justice and liberty for all.

Young Indian-American Runs for Congress

I was recently told by an interviewee for my book project that his parents believed that serving in politics was for "other" people. Well, that's changing big time ofr chilren of immigrants who are growing up in America. Here's one case in point:

A 24-year old child of immigrants is running for Congress. Ranjit Gill is a law student at Berkeley and he's running for the ninth congressional seat. He's already raised close to half a million dollars. Among the languages Gill speaks are English and Spanish. He's told reporters that he's uniquely suited to represent the non-white population, which makes up mroe than half the district.

He says during his campaign and after, he's able to speak people's languages on different levels.

America is changing and its politics are, too.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

I love the show SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. So many contestants are children of immigrants. Take Tadd, for example, who just said his parents came to this country to make a better life for their children.

The positive attitude, pride, and of course, the dancing, all make for a great show and an American experience.

A Mix of Countries, Cultures, and Religion

I just finished interviewing Mufadall Ezzy, the son of parents from Mumbai, India and a self-described middle school rabble rouser. Who would have predicted that he would end up working for one of the most powerful people in Callifornia's state government?

Ezzy is among the most fascinating people I have interviewed for my upcoming book about people who grew up in the United States as children of immigrants. Born in the San Franciso Bay area, he is articulate, opinionated, and self-effacing. "I was born in 1980," he writes in an email. "Ronald Reagan. Cold War. Spy movies. Michael Jackson. Tars for Fears. Growing Pains. Family Ties. Perfect Strangers. The young and most spoiled of three. The most socially and politcally savvy and the least book smart of the kids. The most extroverted, risque, and willing to push the envelope on fundamental attitudes and customs."

With words like that, who would have known that Ezzy would go from being a middle school student kicked out of high school to become an upstanding citizen with a deep commitment to his families' cultural traditions and Muslim faith?

Neil Diamond's Father is an Immigrant

It's fascinating to see how stars inspire people! Google "Neil Diamond Talks about his Parents" and you'll find information about his growing up in the Flatbush section of New York including a term paper.

Diamond's songs reflect his roots. One stanza from They're Coming to America..."On the boats and on the planes, they're coming to America. Never looking back again, they're coming to America..."

It's clear that Diamond's father's sacrifices were not lost on his son.

Audio Stories About Children of Immigrants

If you’d like to listen to some interesting perspectives on being children of immigrants in the United States, click here and see what you think:

http://www.npr.org/series/102615844/immigrants-children-a-foot-in-two-worlds

Selena Gomez Is a Child of Immigrants

Selena Gomez Is a Child of Immigrants

Selena Gomez, an actress, singer, and entrepreneur is 18 years old and a regular headline grabber. Currently dating singing sensation Justin Bieber, Gomez is best known for her role as Alez Russo in the Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly, Gomez has an Italian mother and her Mexican father.

Gomez grew up in Grand Prarie, Texas and told Twist magazine that she wished that she could blend in with the blond girls she knew. “I wanted to be like my friends. I hung out with girls who had blue eyes and blond hair,” she said.

She credits her heritage, however, for helping her land jobs in Hollywood. "When I went to auditions, I'd be in a room with a lot of blond girls, and I always stood out. It actually helped…II realize everybody wants what they don't have. But at the end of the day, what you have inside is much more beautiful than what's on the outside!"

If you read some of the comments following the article on this web link, you will see how some others feel about growing up with parents from other countries: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/20518292.html?thread=2443157140#ixzz1QVtLdzTV

We Are All Children of Immigrants

A Letter to the Editor caught my eye today in the Bernardsville News (New Jersey.)
The writer had grown up about 20 minutes from where I did in Scranton, Pennsyvlania. The letter's headline reads, “We are all children of immigrants.”

Paula Morasco writes that her mother had been born in Poland she recalls fond childhood memories of marching in Scranton's Memorial Day parades. She says she joined other family parade marchers including uncles who served as American soliders during World War II in Europe.

Morasco mentions a Paraguayan community celebration she had recently attended and shares that the participants’ patriotism brought back her own childhood memories. “It was all the same,” she writes. “ America is the best country on this earth. She has her flaws but her strengths outweigh them in every aspect. One of her strengths is her diversity. Another is her respect for mankind. We are all children of immigrants.”

If you’d like to read this wonderful letter, here’s the link.

http://newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article_154918be-97b5-11e0-b15d-001cc4c03286.html

Children of Immigrants in the News

The debate over the definition of an American got more heated this week as two stories about children of immigrants grabbed headline news.

Jose Antonio Varga and Mandeep Chahaj don’t know each other, but they have something in common. Both were brought to America at young ages but they have never become legal residents. In the case of Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter – his mother sent him to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was 12 to live a better life. He grew up with his grandparents (legal citizens) in California, near San Francisco. This week, he decided to stop hiding his true citizenship status and in a New York Times article, wrote of the fear of being found out, as well as his love for America and his strong identity as an American. “This is my home,” he wrote. “Yet even though I think of myself as an American and consider America my country, my country doesn’t think of me as one of its own.”

Mandeep Chahal came to the United States with her mother when she was six to join her father, a legal U.S. resident. Mother and daughter had both been scheduled for deportation to India this week, but thanks to Chahaj’s Facebook campaign, they’ve been granted a stay. Chahal is a pre-med student at the University of California, Davis.

On Tuesday, America’s Voice Education Fund held a news conference in Washington, D.C. saying Chahal’s case highlights the need for immigration reform for people, like her, who had not control over their entry into the United States and have ended up becoming productive citizens.
The readers’ comments after the Sacramento Bee article about Chahal shows the deep division among Americans on this issue. A sampling: “She came here when she was six! Do you think after going through 14+ years of American schooling she is any different from the average twenty year old girl? She is as much an American as your kid or mine. “

Yet another, which is among the majority of readers’ sentiments: ’It is unfortunate that sometimes parents make bad choices and their children may suffer for it. Go back to India, stand in line with the rest of the people from around the world and wait your turn.”

Jay Leno - Funny Man - Child of Immigrants

Saw Jeno Leno perform in Reno, Nevada last night and enjoyed his jokes and references to his family. His parents are from Italy and he often refers to them and his aunt and uncle during his routines. "I must have the oldest relatives," Leno tells the audience after relating that his parents gave birth to him when they were "older" than most.

"We're not fancy people," his mother said when Leno took them to a classy restaurant where actress Connie Stevens happened to be dining. One of Leno's mother's favorite actresses, Stevens came over to the table to say hello. Leno's mother gushed with excitement and said, "I always wondered what happened to you."

Leno lovingly pokes fun at his relatives and the audience eats it up.

His timing couldn't be better and he has a real pulse on what tickles Americans' funny bones.

Wedding Bells RIng

Last night, my husband, John and I attended a beautiful wedding in Loomis, California, for friends who merged the American and Persian cultures in their vows. Parmis played hard to get during the ceremony waiting several times to say aloud that she would take Kevin as her wedded husband. It's a tradition in her family's culture. Her parents are from Iran. She was born in the United States. One of the most touching part of the ceremony was when some of the married women used wrapped sugar canes and rubbing them together over the canopy-covered heads of the bride and groom to let the falling sugar crystals symbolize wishes for a sweet life together as husband and wife.

Several hundred people witnessed the exchanging of vows underneath a clear, blue sky, with Folsom Lake and the rolling hillside in view. It was an evening filled with love and laughter and learning about customs new and old and all better than good.

Food Is a Way to Fit in and Get Fat

I've noticed from interviews with children of immigrants that some have embarassed to eat foods from their culture in front of others compared to what is considered "normal" American fare.

A recent study is showing that there's a health price people are paying for that. According to a researcher at the University of Washington, immigrants and their children gain weight within 15 years of moving to the United States and some of them approach levels of obesity. That's the word from Sapna Cheryan, who is also a psychologist.

Her study shows that because immigrants and their children want to "fit in" to American culture, they turn to junk food and other popular meals over goods that relate to their families' home countries.

As reported by msnbc.com: "The study, which surveyed Asian American and white college students, found children of immigrants are often embarrassed by consuming food from their home country in front of others. Sixty-eight percent of the Asian-American respondents recalled food-related insecurities around white peple while growing up, such as awkwardness about using chopsticks and the custom of eating all of the animal (chicken feet, fish eyes, and pork heads.) Only 27 percent of white respondents remembered embarassing food practices from childhood."

If you're interested in reading the study, you can find it in the June issue of the journal of Psychological Science.

California Streamin'-Most Immigrants in U.S.

Voter redistricting is underway in California and it's easy to see why, when you consider the numbers of immigrants (and their children) living in California.

California is home to ten million people who were born in other countries. That's the highest number of all the states in America. (About 1/4 of all the U.S. immigrants live in the Golden State.)

From 1970-2009, California's foreign-born population has grown by 20 percent, representing almost two million people. That's the word from the Public Policy Institute of California, which analyzed the most recent Census data.

According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, "Most California immigrants come from Latin America (35 percent) and Asia (32 percent). Mexico leads the originating countries with 4.5 million, follwed by the Phillipines (783,000) and China (681,000)."

Louisian-born Child of Immigrants Wins Soros Award

Philanthropists and immigrants, Paul and Daisy Soros, offer scholarships from a chartiable trust they created known as the Soros Fellowship Program. "Our selection criteria," Paul Soros says, "are designed to identify people who will make a success of their lives and who will contribute something to this country, in whatever area of endeavor they choose." Brian Goh is one of the program's recipeients and is a second-year student in the MD/PhD program at the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Goh was born in Baton Rouge, Louisian and his parents are Chinese and moved to the United States from Malaysia. According to an article in the Johns Hopkins Gazette, "his father, one of 16 children, had been a manual laborer on a rubber plantation." Goh has an impressive background including biomedical research and co-authoring 11 publications in important journals as well as committing himself to community service. The article also mentions his research that focuses on "manipulating adult stems cells for cardiac and bone tissue regenration." In accounting their choices for the 2011 fellowship recipients, the foundation board noted that the awards, "highlight the extradordinary promise, diversity, drive and determination of recent immigrants - and the children of immigrants - to this country."

Multi-Clutural Festival Draws Crowd & Comments

This past weekend, a multi-cultural festival was held in Sacramento (a city named as the most diverse in the U.S. by Time Magazine.) Latinos celebrated the 20th Festival de la Familia and Sacramento Bee reporter Steve Maganini interviewed some of the attendees. Elsy Gonzalez, a UC Davis student, expressed her pride and joy about her Mexican roots. She's identified as a mestizo in the story - a person who has a mixture of Indian, Spanish, French, African and/or Chinese blood. The article included information about discrimination and exclusion in Mexico and in the United States as well as the importance of festivals, like this one, to bring people together. As one attendee said, "We're here to celebrate each other." The following comments were posted on the web by readers after they saw the article. It's a very telling online debate and shows the challenges that children of immigrants and their families face. Here's a sampling - first from "Sherk" and the second from "ssmokeydoodles": Sherk: Are they celebrating illegal immigration or maybe the Hispanic drug cartels and their death network? Or maybe they should celebrate the immigrant drop houses and the illegal immigrant drug mules. What about the out of control Hispanic teen birthrate or maybe the violent gang activity in their community? Are they celebrating the high incarceration rate of Hispanics or the ghettos that they create where ever they choose to live? And surly (sic) they can celebrate how they have gamed the social system in California to the brink of insolvency. Maybe they should name their celebration, The Festival of the Losers and Leeches! smokeydoodles: Well when my family of Americans of Mexican descent get together, we celebrate with the food and music of our family members who came here from Mexico (in my case it was my great-grandparents.) We are not losers or leeches, in fact we have teachers, medical professionals, law enforcement officers (local, state and federal), attorneys, OMG we even have a federal judge! We don't live in ghettos, don't collect welfare, or have people in prison. Well, we do have people working in prisons. No teen moms, in fact my poor grandma only has one great granchild...

Steeler's Hines Ward Gives Back Worldwide

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward is known around the world as a highly talented and award-winning football player as well as an humanitarian and advocate for bi-racial children and adults. Ward was born in Korea to a Korean mother and an American father and moved to the United States when he was one.

He has said in numerous interviews that it was hard for him to find his identity while growing up in Georgia where his mother worked in the school cafeteria and struggled to learn English. He said it wasn't easy making friends. "The black kids didn't want to hang out with me because I had a Korean mom," Ward said in a New York Times interview. "The white kids didn't want to hang out with me because I was black. The Korean kids didn't want to hang out with me because I was black."

Ward, named the most valuable player in Super Bowl XL, has formed a foundation and serves on a presidential committee to help stop discrimination and bullying against bi-racial people. He helps sponsor children from South Korea to come to the United States each year to experience acceptance and love in this country, something that has been foreign to them in their homeland.
"It's a great culture," Ward said. "I love everything about it. But there's a dark side to that culture. And me, I'm trying to shed light on that dark side and make Korea a better place than it already is."

Being a leader in his community, in Korea, and on the football field, Ward has made his mother, Hung Ye Ward, proud and he serves as an inspiration to people around the world.

Ousted American Idol Is Child of Immigrants

Karen Rodriguez, the latest contestant to leave the American Idol show, is an American singer from New York City. Her mother is Perruvian and her father is Columbian.

Rodriguez sang songs in English and Spanish on the popular show. "I want to represent for all my Latinos out there," she said to an MTV reporter. "America is a big melting pot. It's not only English. There are many languages infused in this country and I just wanted to support my race. I have it in my blood. It lives inside me and I have to be who I am."

The combination of English and Spanish singing resulted in a much-quoted comment by rock star and judge Steven Tyler: "I love it when you break into your ethnic what-is-ness."

Rodriguez isn't the only one in her family disappointed by the outcome of the competition. Her mother, Elvira Rodriguez, had been featured on the show and during an interview said, "I live now in Karen. This is my best prize. This is my medal in my life. Don't like another prize, only my Karen."

When Rodriguez unsuccessfuly sang a song to try to get the judges to let her stay in the competition, she said she had really hoped to convince them - not only for herself but also for her mom.

Japan's Earthquake Touches Americans

I write this entry as rescue efforts are underway in Japan where the worst earthquake and tsunami have hit that country, killing and injuring thousands of people. Such a tragedy and I can only imagine the frantic and unanswered calls being placed by Americans who have relatives in that country. How can we not all feel connected to the unexpected loss of human life and to the Japanese and our fellow-Americans who love and worry about their relatives and friends there?

America is a Melting Pot that is filled with flavors from many countries and we are all connected to the fabric of this country and the others where many of our residents have descended from.

Much hope and many prayers for those who are so deeply affected by this tragedy!

Chicago's Mayor is a Child of an Immigrant

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel felt his ancerstors' presence when he was elected mayor of the Windy City.

He's the son of an Israeli father and a Chicago-born mother, herself the child of an immigrant.

The former White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama, Emanuel is Chicago's first Jewish Mayor. "For me, as Rahm Emanuel, the grandson of Herman Smulivitz, who came to this city in 1917 from the Russian-Romanian border as a 13-year old to leave the pogroms, and son of Benjamin Emanuel, who came here in 1959 from Israel to start a medical practice, there's a personal sense of accomplishment," he was quoted by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd after his historical victory.

Emanuel told reporters that he was humbled and gratified by his election. His former boss, President O'Bama, said he couldn't be prouder for his friend and fellow-Chicagoan.

There are many children of immigrants serving in elected offices in the United States. Like Emanuel, they know from whence their families came and are commited to giving back to America, a country they don't take for granted.

Children of Immigrants Make Headlines

I read different newspapers and blogs every day and it doesn't fail to amaze me how often there are stories about children of immigrants and immigration. It's not always about illegal immigration and "anchor babies." Most often, the stories are about contributions to American life that have been made by people who have come to this country from another place on the globe or about their children, many of whom are now adults and working in a variety of jobs. I see them every day including my hair stylist, my doctor, his assistant, and the list goes on and on.

In the Contra Costa Times reccently, there was an article with the headline, "Quality of Life Fuels Rapid Growth of Immigrants in the East Bay Suburbs." This story was about approximatley nine thousand immigrants who had moved to the California suburb of Antioch from places like Mexico, Central America, the Phillippines, South Asia and West Africa. The article notes, "With about 2,000 Nicaraguan-Americans, about half of them immigrants, Antoioch now boasts Califorian's fifth-largest Nicaraguan community - behind Los Angeles, San Francisco, Daly City and San Jose."

Every American city and its surrounding regional area are mirroring the trend of what this country's history portrays - immigrants and their children living here and trying to make better lives for themselves while also contributing to the United States.

I never tire of reading these kinds of articles because the numbers reveal the changing face of this country and because they focus on people who often work hard as they try to fufill their own Amercian dreams. Many succeed and we all benefit from that.

CNN Anchor's Book about News and Race #2 NY Times List

As I read about CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien's book, THE NEXT BIG STORY, I learn that she is the daughter of a black Cuban mother and a white Australian father. That fact has played an important, and sometimes difficult part, in her life as a child and as an adult. According to NY Times book review Azadeh Moaveni, "Both these themes - her roots and her looks - run through O'Brien's memoir...as she charts her lifelong effort to forge a singular identity out of her biracial background."

Times have certainly changed since O'Brien's parents' marriage was banned in Maryland and they chose to exchange vows in Washington.

However, it's clear she works hard to spread the concepts of understanding and acceptance in programs she does like "Latino in America" and the documentary "Black in America."

O'Brien mentions in her memoir that some wondered if she was "black enough" to be the right one to be the documentary reporter.

Her frustration about comments like that comes through in the book, which also has a major focus on her past 22 years in the TV news business.

As #2 on the NY Times bestsellers list, it's clear O'Brien's book is drawing readers in a big way.

More Young Americans Identify As Mixed-Race

That's the headline from a recent New York Times article and so is this: "The country is in the midst of a demographic shift driven by immigration and intermarriage."

The article cited very telling statistics from a Pew Research Center study that showed that one in seven new marraiges is between people of different races and different ethniticites. They're among of this country's fastest growing demographic group and they fall into the category of multiracial and mutliethnic Americans.

Expect more of these kind of statistics and conclusions when the 2010 census is released next month.

Taking Care of Countries' Poor Populations

Today I interviewed Nyuieko Afua Bansah, the child of a father from Ghana and a mother from Arkansas. Nyuieko is currently in graduate school and is a health educator, working with pregnant teenagers and women who depend on government help to get by.

She has seen both of her parents earn college degrees while working hard to support their family. She says they taught her to be proud of her heritage and to work hard and be independent. "There was no room for excuses," she recalls. "We were taught that you can do anything and that everyone has roadblocks. You just have to get over them."

Nyuieko says that while growing up, she was teased because of her name and because of her father's thick accen . She says when she was young, she fit in better with children of immgrants with roots to Mexico and the Phillipines than with students from the African American community.

What really has impacted her life, Nyieko says, is a trip she took to Ghana when she was 13 to visit her father's family. They lived there for over a month and the poverty she saw was eye-opening and life changing.

Today, she talks about a dream of becoming a philanthropist in Ghana and working with that government to help it understand the importance of helping its poor population, especially women and children.

She's quite a remarkable woman!

Children of Immigrants Carry On Family Traditions

I just returned from a trip to Israel and Italy and learned so much about family traditions that continue from generation to generation - no matter where a family may move. Take for example, the Friday night dinner at my family's home in Israel. The extended families of my cousins join together each Friday night to share food, conversation and wonderful times.

In Florence, Italy, I observed the same customers arriving at a neighborhood bakery in the morning - with warm greetings exchanged and the owners awaiting payment until after baked goods and coffee drinks were consummed.

In both countries, the guests (or customers) were treated with much warmth and priority. The word "honor" comes to mind because guests feel so appreciated and welcomed.

I've heard this from some of the people I have interviewed for the book - that the guests holds higher standing than the hosts. ( I have also interviewed foreign exchange students for previous writing I have done and their top observation of Americans is that they don't eat meals together as often as their families do.)

Children of immigrants bring important family values to America and we can learn a few lessons of our own from them.

There is Strength in Diversity

After one of the people I interviewed said that he had trouble learning American etiquette because his foreign-born parents didn't know it themselves, I bought a book - Culture Smart! USA. I wanted to see what would be said about this country for those who needed some insider tips.

This small book is packed with blurbs of information that include America's history, its customs, traditions, roots to patriotism, work ethic and crime rate along with some travel tips.

I especially enjoyed reading the introduction and overview, which in part, states, "The sheer size and diversity of America can be overwhelming...A nation of immigrants, America has an openess and gernosity of spirit to newcomers."

Sometimes, we may forgot how lucky we are to have so many freedoms every day. There's no question that the following is not said in similar books about other countries: "Legislation and increased social awareness have led to greater equality for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation, or disability."

The book notes that Americans proudly assert that there's strength in diversity and that its historical and cultural forces have shaped our deep sense of national pride.

Just pick up any major city newspaper and you'll see stories about our diverse citizens who make this country better every day.