United States- Prejudice and discrimination against individuals who are (or who are perceived to be) Muslim or Middle Eastern

Target- Minority Groups-people who have unequal access to positions of power, prestige, and wealth in society and who tend to be targets of prejudice and discrimination

Minority status is not based on numerical representation in society but rather on social status

Classification by external appearance Why?

Race- people who are believed to share distinct physical characteristics that are deemed socially significant

Can You Name A Few?

Racial groups are sometimes distinguished on the basis of such physical characteristics as skin color, hair texture, facial features, and body shape and size.

Science of genetics challenges the notion of race

Geneticists have discovered that the genes of any two unrelated persons, chosen at random from around the world, are 99.9% alike

Most human genetic variations – approximately 85 %- can be found between any two individuals from the same group (racial, ethnic, religious..)

When two or more racial or ethnic groups come into contact, one of several patterns of interaction occurs-

*Genocide,* Expulsion or *Population Transfer, *Colonialism, *Segregation, *Acculturation, *Pluralism, *Assimilation, And *Amalgamation

Genocide- the deliberate, systematic annihilation of an entire nation of people

20th Century Hitler led the Nazi extermination of 12 Million people, including 6 Million Jews (Holocaust)

1994 – Hutus slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis (Tutsis was called cockroaches by the Hutus) in Rwanda, Africa

Expulsion or Population transfer- when a dominant group forces a sub-ordinate group to leave the country or to live only in designated areas of the country

U.S. - Trail of Tears – 1830 Indian Removal Act relocation of eastern tribes to land west of the Mississippi River

Pearl Harbor in 1941 – Japanese American evacuation camps surrounded by barbed wire – experienced economic and psychological devastation

Colonialism- when a racial or ethnic group from one society takes over and dominates the racial or ethnic group(s) of another society

European invasion of North America; British occupation of India; the Dutch presence in South Africa before the end of apartheid

Segregation- the physical separation of two groups in residence, workplace, and social functions

de jure (by law) de facto ( in fact) 1890-1910 Separate blacks from

whites by prohibiting blacks from using “white” buses, hotels, restaurants, and drinking fountains

Acculturation- adopting the culture of a group different from the one in which a person was originally raised.

Involves learning the dominant language, adopting new values and behaviors, and changing the spelling of the family name

California decision to discontinue bilingual education and forces students to learn English in school

Pluralism- A state in which racial and ethnic groups maintain their distinctness but respect each other and have equal access to social resources

Switzerland- four ethnic groups- French, Italians, Germans, and Swiss Germans- maintain their distinct cultural heritage and group identity in an atmosphere of mutual respect and social equality

Assimilation – process by which formerly distinct and separate groups merge and become integrated as one.

Melting Pot – creating a new common culture- United States

Secondary Assimilation- when different groups become integrated in public areas and in social institutions, such as neighborhoods, schools, the workplace and in government

Primary Assimilation- occurs when members of different groups are integrated in personal, intimate associations, as with friends, family, and spouses

Amalgamation (Marital Assimilation)- when different ethnic or racial groups become married or pair-bonded and produce children

Interracial marriages are more common today than in previous generations, although less than 5% of U.S. married couples in 2007 were interracial

1790 – U.S. Census – population into four groups- 1. free white males, 2. free white females, 3. slaves, and 4. other persons (including free blacks and Indians)

1990 – U.S. Census- population into five groups-1. white 2. black or African American 3. American Indian or Alaska Native (Aleut or Eskimo ) 4. Asian and 5. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Mixed-Race Identity- About 4.5% of U.S. male-female married couples and 10% of unmarried couples are interracial

New Census option for identifying as “mixed race” to avoid putting children of mixed-race parents in difficult position of choosing the race of one parent over the other when filling out data on school forms and other forms

Ethnicity- a shared cultural heritage or nationality

Distinguished on the basis of language, forms of family structures and roles of family members, religious beliefs and practices, dietary customs, forms of artistic expression such as music and dance, and national origin

The largest ethnic population in the United States is of Hispanic origin

More than one in eight (13.3%) people in the U.S. are Hispanic or Latino and two-thirds (66.9%) of all U.S. Hispanics or Latinos are of Mexican Origin

1917 – The Immigration Act- required all immigrants to pass a literacy test before entering the U.S.

1921 – Johnson Act – introduced a limit on the number of immigrants who could enter the country in a single year – with stricter limitations for certain countries (Africa and Near East)

1924- Immigration Act further limited the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. and completely excluded the Japanese

1943- Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act

1948 Displaced Persons Act – which permitted refugees from Europe

1952- Immigration and Naturalization Act – which permitted a quota of Japanese immigrants

1960s most immigrants were from Europe, but today most immigrants are from Central America (predominantly Mexico) or Asia

2007- More than 1 in 10 U.S. residents (11.7%) were born in a foreign country

Immigrants are less likely than U.S. natives to graduate from high school

The percentage of foreign-born residents (27.3%) with a bachelor’s degrees or more education is nearly equivalent to that of native-born (27.2%) population

Why?

Compared to the Native-born U.S. population, immigrants are more likely to be unemployed and to live in poverty

Almost 43% of immigrants work at jobs that pay less than $7.50 an hour, compared to 28% of all workers in the U.S.

Low-income immigrants are less likely than low-income natives to use benefits such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and food stamps

Noncitizen immigrants are ineligible for federal public benefit programs

State Funded Service- one time only $1500

9.3 million undocumented immigrants in the United States

One-fourth of the total foreign-born population

More than half of undocumented immigrants (57%) are Mexicans

Estimated 5% of U.S. workers are undocumented immigrants

Virtually all undocumented men are in the labor force

62% of undocumented women are less likely to be in the labor force – because they are more likely to be a stay-at-home mom

Undocumented workers often do work that U.S. worker are unwilling to do

Workers routinely work 60 or more hours per week and earn less than the minimum wage of $5.15 per hour

They are not paid overtime and have no benefits

Wal-Mart- hired undocumented immigrants to clean their stores- they worked 7 nights a week, 364 days a year, and were often locked in stores

In 2005 Wal-Mart agreed to pay a record $11 Million to settle charges that it used hundreds of illegal immigrants to clean its stores

1986 Congress approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act – which made hiring illegal immigrants an illegal act punishable by fines and even prison sentences

This Act also prohibits employers from discriminating against legal immigrants who are not U.S. citizens

To become a U.S. citizen, immigrants must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence

Have resided continuously as a lawful permanent U.S. resident for at least five years

Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand basic English

Must show that they have “good moral character”

Applicants who have been convicted of murder or an aggravated felony are permanently denied U.S. citizenship

They are also denied if, in the last five years, they have engaged in any one of a variety of offenses, including prostitution, illegal gambling, controlled substance law violation, habitual drunkenness, willful failure or refusal to support dependents, and criminal behavior involving “moral turpitude”

Naturalized Citizen- immigrants who applied and met the requirements for U.S. citizenship

Prejudice and Racism starts at HOME - we are not born to hate

Attitudes shape and control who we are Stop the cycle- Only you can!!!