One of the purposes of this blog is to see how immigrant cultures blend with the American culture. It’s not often that I get to see how two different immigrant cultures blend, in addition to the assimilation to American norms.  

Stephen Talty is an author who recently wrote about his reaction to his two year-old noticing race for the first time. His perspective is interesting because he is a second generation Irish immigrant who is married to a first generation Haitian immigrant. Here’s an excerpt from his article:

I want Asher to care about his family’s story. How my father had to leave high school in Ireland, before he graduated, to go to work for his family. How, though he was as smart as any of his kids, he came to America and put in 30 years as a construction worker (which is not a job you want to have in the wintertime in Buffalo) because that’s what men without high school degrees did. How Marie’s father, a civil engineer in Haiti, had to drive a taxi in New York City because his credentials weren’t accepted here. How my mother worked as a nurse’s aide, and 400 miles away, Asher’s Haitian grandmother spent her days as a nurse. How they all saved money to send every one of their kids to college, but how my parents couldn’t justify spending money on themselves.

What I find intriguing is that the experiences of the two different cultures are so alike. So, while on the surface the two cultures are worlds apart (Mr. Talty talks more about those challenges in the article), I think there are many more similarities that promote shared values.

Do you agree?

 
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The majority of information regarding immigrant families on the web and television usually has to do with legal status; deportation, etc. (just do a quick Google search on immigrant families). For me, most of this information has very little to do with my family while growing up or my nuclear family now.

I have always believed that real life experiences are less often written about than what the media has decided we want to hear about most. So, while there is constant talk about immigrants stealing American jobs, not learning English or getting deported, I’d like to hear more about those who are becoming successful without having to sacrifice their identities. Or, I’d like to read about parents who have figured out simple ways to keep their children connected to their country of origin, while also encouraging American patriotism.

Anyway, this also got me thinking about the overall perception of immigrants in the US. I think back to my teenage years and I feel that there has been a slight improvement on the way that I (or my heritage) am perceived. I recognize that there may be other factors to this change (i.e. lack of accent, living in a more diverse environment, etc.), but I am hopeful that people have progressed their perception of immigrants – I’m sure it helps that our president is the son of an immigrant .

What do you think?

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