African American Immigrants example essay topic

Coming to the United States, a nation that was supposed to offer better life to newcomers was a major turning point for immigrants. For few it was joyous, others adventurous, and for many it was a heart wrenching experience. The fear of not being accepted as equal human beings in the US was a fear that all immigrants shared, especially the Africans, Latinos, and Japanese immigrants. This fear has been expressed not only by the immigrants themselves, but also by poets throughout history. White settlers referred to African immigrants as blacks, Africans, slaves, and other hurtful words. The African immigrants that came to the United States were called every name in the book except African American.

African American immigrants had every right to fear not being accepted by society. Upon their arrival to the United States, these immigrants were exposed to racism, violence, and hatred. People from adults to children expressed strong and hateful feelings towards African Americans. Counter Cullen, a colored poet from the Harlem Renaissance, opened this idea up to the public in his poem, "Incident". The poem paints the image of an African American boy on a visit to the city of Baltimore. Having never seen anything that could compare to the city the small boy is overtaken with feelings of joy and awe.

The small African American comes across another child, similar in age and size, but who happens to be of the opposite color, white. The difference in their skin color is like night and day. The sight of the African American's dark skin stimulates the white boy to recall what his parents, elders and society had taught him, to shun the dark people. The African American's instinct is to smile at the white boy. Therefore, he does just that, and in return, the white boy sticks out his tongue and throws the label, "nigger" at him. The beautiful memories and experiences that the African American had experienced shatter the moment the word "nigger" hits his ears.

The point that the poem is making here is that people of America are taught to hate at early ages. Not only are they taught to hate but they are also trained to differentiate between their race and other races. Actions like this are executed by people of all ages. In relation to the visit to Baltimore and the racial labeling, the African American boy says, "That's all I remember". Is this the only thing he remembers because of the principal the word "nigger", or is it the way the word isolates him from the rest of the world? Such incidents and vulgar language together thrust filthy, inferior feeling upon immigrants.

African Americans were discriminated and not accepted by others, and society taught that whites and blacks are different in more than just color. Due to the way the nation reacted towards African Americans, these immigrants had to live with the feeling of not being accepted by the people of their new land. Stereotypical situations became familiar to Latin Americans as well as African Americans. As people of Spanish descent entered America, they were met with hatred and discrimination. Their customs and their Catholic faith were often oppressed. In "Don't Misread My Signals", Judith Ortiz Cofer explains that Latin Americans were accustomed to dressing in bright and flashy colors.

Along with these eye-catching colors, they also exposed more skin than other cultures. Latinos noticed, upon their arrival to the states, that Americans could not seem to grasp the concept that the bright colors and flashy dress were apart of the Latino heritage. This cultural rejection built a wall that discouraged Hispanics from sharing their rich artwork and traditions with the nation. In 1952, Cofer wrote, "Latin Women Pray", a poem that expresses and brings out a sense of how immigrants felt as they were separated from the rest of society. Cofer writes about four Latin girls who are praying to God in their native language. The way the girls see God is disturbing; white, unlike their brown skin, high above them, on a marble pedestal looking down upon the girls represents the feeling of inferiority that Latinos feel as they pray to a God who has the same characteristics as the people who mock them.

These differences are stressed throughout the poem. Line 3, "they pray in Spanish to an Anglo God", and line 7, "He looks down upon his brown daughters" let the readers know just how different Latinos felt. In line 8 of Cofer's poem, the four Spanish women's names are presented. This line adds to the differences between the women and society. The last line of the poem, "At least he be bilingual", gives an insight to how the immigrants feel as they pray to a God who is different from them in many. The women see the differences between themselves and God, but having no other God to pray before they can only hope that he is able to understand them, look past their differences, and answer their prayers.

According to Pat Mora's "Immigrants", which was written in 1986, Hispanic immigrants hope that their children will grow up and surpass the problems that their heritage has inflicted upon them. According to "The Encyclopedia of American Immigration", Latino's economic and political differences as well as their cultural differences, spurred their un acceptance in society (169). Like African Americans, Hispanics were labeled with crude words and terms such as "wet back" and "spic" (169). Hispanics had to deal with segregated school, property restrictions, and other labor segmentation as well (171). In response to the discriminating restrictions, people of Latin descent found it necessary to hide their heritage. Parents hoped that if their children learned how to hide their heritage and act American society would accept them.

Acting American seemed to be the Latino's only escape from discrimination. In Mora's poem, Spanish descendants are raising their children in American ways. They are trying to make American traditions norms for their children. The parents begin the assimilation process by surrounding their baby with all the material aspects and traditions that define the dominant culture. They give anglicized names, fast food, dolls with blonde hair and blue eyes, and football cleats. Yet, despite the best efforts of the parents, a lingering fear exists that discrimination and rejection will prevail as understood by the line, "Will they like... our fine American girl?" (Line 12).

Along with African Americans and Hispanic descendants, Japanese Americans became very familiar with stereotypical situations too. Many Japanese families came and settled in America, and as they did, the American population seemed to build an anti-Japanese mentality. The lives of Japanese Americans changed forever after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. American citizens treated Japanese Americans as aliens, in their own country. Americans looked at these Japanese descendants as if they were spies even thought they had no connection to Japan. The idea that Americans looked at these people as spies and traitors is highly stressed in Dwight Okita's poem, "In Response to Executive Order" by Denise assuming that the girl is a traitor who gives away secrets.

This is a very stereotypical situation. Another assumption that can be made is that Denise is scared of being betrayed by her friend. The reason for her feeling this way is that society gave the impression that all Japanese Americans are untrustworthy. "The Journal of American Ethnic History" contains the journal entry "Black and Jewish Responses to Japanese Internment".

The journal article illustrates how Japanese Americans were taken from their homes and barred up in concentration camps just because they were Japanese descendants. Ignorant Americans thrashed these Japanese descendants as they left their homes and families to enter these concentration camps. It was because of this mistreatment by the US government and other American citizens that Japanese Americans felt the need to burry their heritage. They practiced no Japanese customs and were terrified to acknowledge their Japanese ancestry.

The Japanese Americans soaked in the culture of the United States and yearned to be seen as equal citizens. Japanese parents raised their Japanese children to be proud Americans ("Generations of Japanese-Americans"). As Japanese immigrants had children in America, they felt that just because their ancestors were from Japan the labels, "American Citizen" was just as much their children's as it was the people who had been oppressing them. Japanese Americans felt that engaging themselves in American activities would help prove to Americans that they were equal citizens too. The small girl in Okita's poem is trying to show that American traditions are apart of her everyday life.

She states that when she engages in Japanese activities she feels uncomfortable. Japanese Americans were born and raised on American soil. They strived for acceptance everyday in their own homeland. Their loves were simply day-by-day struggles. At different points in history, there were different reactions to immigrants. However, most immigrants throughout American history have shared a common struggle for acceptance.

Poems such as "Incident", "Latin Women Pray", "Immigrants", and "In Response to Executive Order: 9066" bring people to the conclusion that the problem with America and immigrants was that Americans could not accept the fact that immigrant were simply different. Their language, food, customs, and dress seemed strange. Many Americans had a hard time accepting these differences and seeing immigrants as equal human beings. This caused immigrants to be caught in somewhat of a trap. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by a struggle to gain acceptance among the American population. Immigrants should not be ashamed of who they are.

Immigrants should be proud of what they have endured and move on with their heads held high. America is a nation of immigrants.