STORY AND STATUS OF ETHNIC GROUP According to the 2000 U.S Census there are 11,898,828 Asian Americans living in the United States of America. The term ‘Asian American’ is used as an umbrella to encompass several different Asian ethnicities, “The Asian population is not homogeneous; it includes many groups that differ in language and culture, and many people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent,” (U.S. Census 2). To put the term ‘Asian American’ into historical context, many Chinese and Japanese immigrated to America in the late 1800s to early 1900s, but their journey to America was far from easy. After the rigorous journey to America, Asian immigrants faced harsh discrimination in American society, especially in the workplace and in the American education system. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the discrimination of the Japanese severally worsened as the Japanese were sent to internment camps because Americans blamed the Pearl Harbor attacks on the Asian Americans. (Please refer to the “American Dream” portion for more historical information). Regardless of the extreme hardships that thousands of Asian Americans had to endure, Asian immigrants contributed a great deal to the American society, which is why we now have what is now referred to as the urban service economy. The urban service economy is a term that refers to small businesses that the Asian population established such as small shops, laundromats, hotels, and small restaurants. Chinatowns continue to flourish in major cities such as San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles and these are perhaps some of the most prevailing contributions of Asian immigrants to American society.
VIDEO OF JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMPS IN THE UNITED STATES:
*FOR ADDITIONAL MULTIMEDIA COMPONENT PLEASE REFER TO WINDOWS MOVIEMAKER PRESENTATION IN EMAIL*
STATISTICS AND QUOTES
“While Asians resided in every state in 2004, most lived in a handful of states. About 35 percent of Asians lived in California, 10 percent in New York, and 6 percent in Texas. Together, these three states accounted for more than 50 percent of the Asian population,” (U.S Census 2).
“Over 60% of Asian Americans in California are immigrants. A majority of all Asian American ethnic groups, except Japanese, are foreign-born. Among Pacific Islanders, nearly half of Tongans (48%) were born outside the United States,” (Moulton 2)
“Asian Americans 25 years and older are slightly less likely to hold a high school degree (19% have not graduated high school) but significantly more likely to have graduated college (45% hold a college degree),” (Moulton 2)
“Southeast Asians and some Pacific Islander groups are among the poorest in California. Over half of Hmong statewide (53%) live below the poverty line, while 40% of Cambodians, 32% ofLaotians, and 20% of Samoans are poor,” (Moulton 2)
“Data was collected from Asian American families living in five standard metropolitan statistical areas (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco). Statistical analyses of the data demonstrated that alternative measures of social welfare give a less optimistic view of the situation of Asian Americans than do conventional measures. Findings indicated that Asian Americans work more and earn less when compared to whites,” (Moulton 3).
“- Compared with the non-Hispanic White population, the Asian population had a larger proportion of younger people. -Asians were also more likely to be married than non-Hispanic Whites.
-A larger proportion of their households were family households.
-Compared with non-Hispanic White women, Asian women were more likely to have given birth in the past 12 months.
-Asians also had a larger proportion of college graduates and higher median incomes.
-A larger proportion of Asians were employed in management, professional, and related occupations.
-Asians generally spoke only English at home or spoke English very well.
-About 7 of every 10 Asians were U.S. citizens, whether by birth or naturalization,” (U.S Census 4).
WORKPLACE RESEARCH AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Name of Company contacted: Sony Corporation of America
Address: 550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022
What type of diversity do they have?
The Sony Corporation of America puts a great emphasis on diversity by establishing equal opportunities for employees of all cultural backgrounds while trying to expand their cultural diversity demographics. Sony also emphasizes gender diversity, equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities, and equal opportunity for senior citizens.
How do they accommodate?:
How do they accommodate?:
A Few of Sony’s Initiatives...
“In 2005, Sony Corporation launched DIVI (Diversity Initiative for Value Innovation), a project aimed at stimulating the creation of a corporate climate that enables a wide variety of employees boasting diverse backgrounds to optimize their individual capabilities,” (Sony 1).
“Through workshops and events, members of these groups have sought to foster human resources and establish personal networks to share information and promote communication. In 2008, one of these groups, WAVE (Woman of Action, Vision and Empowerment) introduced a new mentoring program, thereby creating a forum for women to receive insights on how to grow professionally from executives, exemplifying its focus on the cultivation of human resources,” (Sony 2).
“In line with its philosophy of creating work environments where disability is not an obstacle, Sony Corporation has established a support system for disabled employees that stems from its Personnel and Administration divisions,” (Sony 3).
What contributions do the "ethnic" groups make to the overall organizational structure?
“Through workshops and events, members of these groups have sought to foster human resources and establish personal networks to share information and promote communication. In 2008, one of these groups, WAVE (Woman of Action, Vision and Empowerment) introduced a new mentoring program, thereby creating a forum for women to receive insights on how to grow professionally from executives, exemplifying its focus on the cultivation of human resources,” (Sony 2).
“In line with its philosophy of creating work environments where disability is not an obstacle, Sony Corporation has established a support system for disabled employees that stems from its Personnel and Administration divisions,” (Sony 3).
What contributions do the "ethnic" groups make to the overall organizational structure?
The Sony Corporation of America is based in New York City but is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Through the integration of this Japanese company into our American pop culture world, Americans have easy access to the technology that Sony produces. “Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its motion picture, television, computer entertainment, music and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment and technology companies in the world,” (Corporate 1). As Tokyo, Japan being the main headquarters for the Sony Corporation, the Japanese provide the framework for the extension of the Sony Corporation in America. In essence, the Japanese have established the overall organizational structure for the Sony Corporation in America. In addition to the obvious contributions of this Japanese company to American technology and pop culture, Sony Corporation also contributes a tremendous amount to the communities that they are located in, in America. Referring to Sony’s Corporate Philanthropy, their motto “Working Together to Make a Difference” is the umbrella phrase for all the ways in which Sony continues to work to become involved in local American communities, “Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, funding research to cure devastating diseases, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment and actively encouraging employee volunteerism,” (Corporate 1). Sony has accomplished, and stills works to accomplish this goal in numerous ways, through the establishment of a wide variety of community based programs and donations.
Examples of Contributions of Sony Corporation of America:
Arts and Culture:
“Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. has donated Sony electronics equipment to the Sony Pictures Media Arts Program (SPMAP), a program of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the California Institute of the Arts (CAL ARTS) Community Arts Partnership (CAP) and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. The free program offers students between the ages of 11 and 14 living within the City of Los Angeles, fundamentals in animation and art technique,” (Corporate 2).
Education:
“Sony in America believes in investing in the education of the nation's children. By contributing to the educational well-being of students throughout the country today, we believe that we are helping to lay the foundation for the informed citizens and educated employees of tomorrow,” (Corporate 6).
“Grant dollars from Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. provide support for Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art Contemporary Art Start program, which allows for extensive training for public school teachers from Culver City High School and culminates in student exhibitions at the Museum. The support also underwrites two trips per year to the Museum for more than 250 Culver City public school students and teachers,” (Corporate 2).
“A grant made to Culver City provides for a variety of arts programs such as free outdoor concerts, a guest lecture series, the Culver City Art Walk, and other events, many of which are free to the public. Sony Pictures Entertainment also supports East West Players, The Actors’ Gang Theater, Shakespeare Festival / LA, Skirball Cultural Center and Inside Out Community Arts,”(Corporate 3).
Health:
“Across the nation, Sony in America supports hospitals, clinics, medical research groups, and other health-related organizations with grants and product donations. Sony Corp. supports: annual Revlon Run Walk for Women’s Cancers, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Motion Picture & Television Fund, The Midnight Mission, Painted Turtle Camp, the Los Angeles Free Clinic, Homeless Healthcare of Los Angeles, St. Johns Health Center and Variety—The Children’s Charity. Sony Electronics Inc.'s facilities in Northern New Jersey support the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" Walk, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Emanuel Cancer Foundation and the Hospice of Bergen Community Health Care, MS Bike Tour for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater North Jersey Chapter. Sony Corporation of America also provides support for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic,” (Corporate 4).
Community Outreach:
“Across the nation, Sony in America supports hospitals, clinics, medical research groups, and other health-related organizations with grants and product donations. Sony Corp. supports: annual Revlon Run Walk for Women’s Cancers, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Motion Picture & Television Fund, The Midnight Mission, Painted Turtle Camp, the Los Angeles Free Clinic, Homeless Healthcare of Los Angeles, St. Johns Health Center and Variety—The Children’s Charity. Sony Electronics Inc.'s facilities in Northern New Jersey support the American Cancer Society's "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" Walk, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Emanuel Cancer Foundation and the Hospice of Bergen Community Health Care, MS Bike Tour for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater North Jersey Chapter. Sony Corporation of America also provides support for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic,” (Corporate 4).
Community Outreach:
“Healthy, robust communities create opportunities that allow their residents to live deeper, richer lives. We support a variety of programs that enhance the quality of life in communities and help aid disadvantaged residents and victims of tragedy,”(Corporate 5).
“Perhaps no other initiative embraces the concept of volunteerism than S.O.N.Y. (Some One Needs You) Day, which is Sony's signature volunteer program. Each year, several thousand employees from Sony in America companies participate in S.O.N.Y,” (Corporate 7).
Through the numerous amounts of contributions that Sony makes to American communities, the relationship that the Japanese have made to American communities is clear. The expansion and globalization of this Japanese company into American culture has provided opportunities for all ethnic groups to accomplish the American dream. Due to Sony’s heavy investment in the employment of a diverse population of American workers, their workforce represents a commitment the integration of cross cultural progress. In addition to Sony’s wide variety of employment opportunities for a diverse workforce, they are the number one provider of numerous forms of technology used by all Americans such as computers, cameras, televisions, video games, and other electronics that many people views as necessities. These technological contributions alone are enough to show the overall contributions of the Japanese on American culture. These advances in the world of technology are a major part of American living.
ETHNIC GROUP LITERATURE AND "AMERICAN DREAM"
According to James Truslow Adams’ book, The Epic in America written in 1931, the American Dream is defined as “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” (Rico 7). This definition of the American dream further proves the great distance between Asian immigrants ability to grasp it due to the limitations that Americans imposed on Asian immigrants during this time period. American’s primarily took advantage of the Chinese American immigrants in order to get the labor from them that they needed, and once major projects such as our nation’s first railroads were complete, Americans did not want anything to do with them anymore. Americans most likely did not want to share the wealth of their
nation, such as the Gold Rush, “Upon hearing about the gold rush in California, many residents decided to leave Kwangtung to see out new opportunities for success in America,” (Rico 250). In turn, once major laborious project were complete, there was little work for Asian immigrants. With the mines exhausted and railroad construction completed, there was less work for the pool of available laborers. The railroad the Chinese immigrants helped to construct added to their problems by bringing to the West Coast many workers whowere not able to find work in the east. (Rico 252)
ETHNIC GROUP LITERATURE AND "AMERICAN DREAM"
According to James Truslow Adams’ book, The Epic in America written in 1931, the American Dream is defined as “the dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,” (Rico 7). This definition of the American dream further proves the great distance between Asian immigrants ability to grasp it due to the limitations that Americans imposed on Asian immigrants during this time period. American’s primarily took advantage of the Chinese American immigrants in order to get the labor from them that they needed, and once major projects such as our nation’s first railroads were complete, Americans did not want anything to do with them anymore. Americans most likely did not want to share the wealth of their
nation, such as the Gold Rush, “Upon hearing about the gold rush in California, many residents decided to leave Kwangtung to see out new opportunities for success in America,” (Rico 250). In turn, once major laborious project were complete, there was little work for Asian immigrants. With the mines exhausted and railroad construction completed, there was less work for the pool of available laborers. The railroad the Chinese immigrants helped to construct added to their problems by bringing to the West Coast many workers whowere not able to find work in the east. (Rico 252)Americans have viewed Chinese immigrants as subjects for cheap labor and harsh punishments, and when they were ‘done with them’ they forced them back home. It seems as though Americans wanted to keep great control over Chinese Americans by ensuring that their lives were far from easy. This form of hatred could possibly stem from selfishness and jealousy because the Chinese Americans were able to come to America and successfully build a foundation originally resulting in Chinatown in San Francisco. Other Chinatowns flourished in New York City and Boston because of this. After seeing the success that the Chinese began to have, Americans were quick to try to take this away from them, resulting in the Chinese Exclusion Act. The success of Chinese immigrants resembles their perseverance to pursue the American dream and the Chinese Exclusion Act is a primarily example of Americans suppressing their success.
For Chinese immigrants and thousands of other immigrants, I feel that the American dream was to live a prosperous life in America, as immigrants came to America to seek out a better life than the life they were living in their home country. Upon arrival, the immigrants were quick to realize that along with their difficult journey to America, their life was not going to be easy, with difficult work conditions and long rigorous work days. Immigrant workers were essentially treated as slaves i
n America as they were fighting for their vision of prosperity in the states, “The demons of Tacoma packed all its Chinamen into boxcars and sent them to Portland, where they were run out of town. China Men returned to Seattle, though, and refused to sell their land and stores but fought until the army came,” (Rico 296). This quotation from Maxine Hong Kingstons’s story “The Grandfather of the Sierra Nevada Mountains” expresses the determination for success that the Chinese immigrants had, and this determination was rooted in efforts to seek out the American dream. Chinese immigrants and mostly all other immigrants hoped for freedom and opportunity in America but in retrospect, “the promise of America is contrasted with the intolerance that immigrants encountered upon arrival,” (Rico 254). Regardless of America’s intolerance towards immigrants, I find the Chinese to be extremely successful as their perseverance and determination is what gives us the several China Towns in our country in major cities as previously mentioned. The fact that China Towns still exist today undermines the success of Chinese immigrants, as their establishment and determination for a successful life in America still exists as major tourists sites in America.
For Chinese immigrants and thousands of other immigrants, I feel that the American dream was to live a prosperous life in America, as immigrants came to America to seek out a better life than the life they were living in their home country. Upon arrival, the immigrants were quick to realize that along with their difficult journey to America, their life was not going to be easy, with difficult work conditions and long rigorous work days. Immigrant workers were essentially treated as slaves i
n America as they were fighting for their vision of prosperity in the states, “The demons of Tacoma packed all its Chinamen into boxcars and sent them to Portland, where they were run out of town. China Men returned to Seattle, though, and refused to sell their land and stores but fought until the army came,” (Rico 296). This quotation from Maxine Hong Kingstons’s story “The Grandfather of the Sierra Nevada Mountains” expresses the determination for success that the Chinese immigrants had, and this determination was rooted in efforts to seek out the American dream. Chinese immigrants and mostly all other immigrants hoped for freedom and opportunity in America but in retrospect, “the promise of America is contrasted with the intolerance that immigrants encountered upon arrival,” (Rico 254). Regardless of America’s intolerance towards immigrants, I find the Chinese to be extremely successful as their perseverance and determination is what gives us the several China Towns in our country in major cities as previously mentioned. The fact that China Towns still exist today undermines the success of Chinese immigrants, as their establishment and determination for a successful life in America still exists as major tourists sites in America. Another major group that contributes to the Asian American population in America is Japanese Americans. In the late 1800’s the Japanese were not allowed to immigrate to America and when they did they were subjected to harsh treatment, regardless of their contributions to the community. The Exclusion Act of 1882, which was originally designed to prevent the Chinese from immigrating to America, was passed on to the Japanese as well. When Americans came to the realization that this act was not successful, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907 was developed in order to set strict guidelines for how many Japanese citizens would be allowed to immigrate to America. Basically, this allowed America to pick and choose who we wanted and did not want. Selfishly, America only picked those who were considered ‘the best’ such as skilled laborers. In addition to the rigorous process for a Japanese citizen to immigrate to America they were subjected to a great deal of discrimination when they arrived, especially when trying to find employment and also in the American education system. Regarding employment in America, “not only did unions exclude them, but they were often barred from holding professional positions as well,” (Rico 482). Japanese Americans were not able to hold high positions in the work-force. Secondly, the American education system segregated Japanese students in public schools. In response to the limitations that the Japanese faced in the work force they began their own businesses which demonstrate their great contributions to American society and their determination to grasp the American Dream. Ultimately the Japanese created an “urban service economy by working in and later founding their own small restaurants, hotels, and shops,” (Rico 483). This further proves the perseverance of Japanese immigrants to live a successful life in America. Once the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred this complicated and worsened the discrimination that Japanese Americans were already subject to.
After the attacks of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, Americans held Japanese Americas accountable and accused them for helping plan the attack, “Rumors circulated that Japanese immigrants, both in Hawaii and on the mainland, had communicated with the Japanese military forces, directing planes and transmitting classified information,” (Rico 484). These accusations lead to the denial of constitutional rights for Japanese Americans. Ultimately, Japanese immigrants were exploited. Their homes could be searched at any time, all of their personal belongings were considered suspicious, and the American government began surveillance on Japanese Americans (Rico 484). These occurrences lead to the grouping and shipping of Japanese Americans to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to internment camps. In 1945 when the Supreme Court ruled that this treatment was unconstitutional, Japanese Americans were released from camps but when they returned, “they found much of their property gone, often sold to pay taxes. Their businesses and farms often had been dissolved or were in other hands,” (Rico 486). At this point, the Japanese had to begin at step one again by reestablishing themselves in America. Again, this is another example of how persistent the Japanese were in order to live the American Dream. After many attempts to improve their lives and numerous hardships that the Japanese had to overcome, it is clear to see that the Chinese and Japanese are two primary groups of Asian Americans that have continuously worked towards living the American Dream regardless of the obstacles they had to work rigorously to overcome.
Works Cited
Barnes, Jessica, and Claudette Bennett. "The Asian Population 2000." U.S Census Bureau. N.p., Feb. 2002. Web. 14 June 2010. http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-16.pdf.
"Corporate Philanthropy." Sony Corporation of America. N.p., 2010. Web. 14 June 2010. http://www.sony.com/SCA/philanthropy.shtml.
"Corporate Social Responsibility." Sony Corporation of America. N.p., 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 14 June 2010.
Moulton, David. "The Socioeconomic Status of Asian American Families ." Education Resources Information Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/%20custom/portlets/recordDetails/%20detailmini.jsp%20_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED190679&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=%20ED190679.
"The Asian American Community 2004." U.S Census Bureau. U.S Department of Commerce, Feb. 2007. Web. 14 June 2010. http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/acs-05.pdf.
