Boston Asian Community

¶ … Boston Asian community began in the 1870s when Chinese laborers were originally hired to break a strike at the shoe factory located in North Adams. Chinese workers were also contracted to build the Pearl Street Telephone Exchange, in the South Station are, during this same time frame. Despite their being an Asian community in the area since that time, the population of this community was relatively small until the 1960s, when immigration laws were loosened (Watanabe, Liu & Lo, 2005).

As such, the Asian community in Boston has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four decades, yet this group has been under and misrepresented, and as such public policy fails to meet their needs. Boston Asian Community The Boston Asian community began in the 1870s when Chinese laborers were originally hired to break a strike at the shoe factory located in North Adams. Chinese workers were also contracted to build the Pearl Street Telephone Exchange, in the South Station are, during this same time frame.

Despite their being an Asian community in the area since that time, the population of this community was relatively small until the 1960s, when immigration laws were loosened (Watanabe, Liu & Lo, 2005). As such, the Asian community in Boston has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four decades. Sadly, despite increasing representation in Boston, the Asian community is often ignored and misrepresented. Few efforts have been undertaken to fully describe the Asian-Americans living in Metro Boston.

In fact, in many studies, Asians are either excluded or placed indiscriminately in with majority whites or other minorities. This does a disservice to the community a they have not been fairly represented in policymaking and service delivery (Watanabe, Liu & Lo, 2005). Three facets of the Boston Asian community must be taken into consideration for them to fairly represented. First, the significant growth of the Asian community in Boston, thanks primarily to immigration, must be understood.

Second, policymakers must understand that the Boston Asian community is diverse in its characteristics and socio-economic composition. And third, the complexity of the Boston Asian community must be fully realized. One size fits all policies are not effective for this community (Watanabe, Liu.