Korean American identity and experiences

Korean-American Immigrants: Part of the Great American Mosaic and Melting Pot

Early prejudice

After Japan occupied the neighboring nation of Korea, Korean natives fled their homeland in search of a better life in America. In this, they were no different than countless other immigrants seeking to better themselves on American soil. However, these immigrants' aspirations were often hampered by racism and discrimination, almost as soon as the S.S. Gaelic first docked in Honolulu Harbor on January 13, 1903. 120 men, women, and children were on board. Most came seeking employment as laborers on Hawaii's sugar plantations. The work was backbreaking and arduous, Over 7,000 Korean immigrants made up this first wave of Korean immigration (Korean-American History, 2010, Curriculum Guide: Unit 1).

These laborers were part of a clear 'dual labor market' in Hawaii -- Korean-Americans, regardless of their level of skill or vocational identity in Korea were relegated to a manual labor class with few opportunities for promotion. Yet despite such segregation and the benefits the immigrants performed for the local economy, the Immigration Act of 1924 ended this first wave of Korean immigration, by effectively ending all immigration from the Far East. Koreans could not come to the United States seeking citizenship for the next twenty-five years (Korean-American History, 2010, Curriculum Guide: Unit 1).

Even naturalized Koreans were victims of a kind of dual prejudice during this time period. In Japanese-dominated Korea, the Japanese relegated Koreans to the status of second-class citizens. In fleeing oppression, Koreans found themselves once again in such a position in America. Even worse, many were separated from their families after the passage of the Immigration Act, which did not allow for families to be reunited. In another irony, Koreans on American soil experienced anti-Asian and job-related discrimination during the war with Japan, given that many Caucasians grouped all individuals of East Asian ancestry into the same category.

The second and third waves of Korean immigrants

However, after the Korean-American war, perceptions began to change. War brides, skilled professionals, and more immigrants from Korea were permitted into the U.S. (Korean-American History, 2010, Curriculum Guide: Unit 1). Koreans strove to find new opportunities, and South Koreans, because of the history of their homeland, were often vehemently anti-communist in a manner that many native Americans approved of: however, ethnically-based discrimination remained. Also, there was to some degree a certain amount of self-segregation based on the jobs chosen by Korean-Americans, many of whom began "Korean-owned greengrocers, restaurants, and dry cleaners can be seen throughout the country. From the outside, Korean-Americans appear to have found easy success -- but they have done so by working grueling 18-hour days, 7 days a week, and sacrificing many comforts for the sake of their families, especially the children" (Korean-American History,2010, Curriculum Guide: Unit 1).

Koreans success has often given rise to claims that Koreans are a so-called 'model minority' group. However, this high level of achievement has not come without some costs -- there have been tensions between Korean-Americans and other immigrant groups, such as African-Americans, in urban locations. In many locations, the preservation of 'little Koreas' (or self-generated redlining) has created ethnic enclaves which have strengthened the Korean community through close ties and cultural preservation, but which has also fostered a sense of isolation and tension between Koreans and the outside population. "April 29, 1992 in South Central Los Angeles, California… African-American customers revolted violently against Korean-American merchants….Of the $850 million in estimated property damage, Korean-Americans sustained 47% or $400 million of that damage, and of the 3,100 businesses destroyed, approximately 2,500 of them were owned by Korean-Americans" (Korean-American History,2010, Curriculum Guide: Unit 1).

Affirmative action: A form of reverse discrimination against Asians?

A final point of contention between Korean-Americans and other minority groups is how 'more' successful minorities should be counted in terms of privileging historically discriminated-against groups in jobs and college admissions. A problem with discussing affirmative action for Asians is that it tends to characterize all Asian-Americans in the same manner. However, a refugee from Cambodia may experience economic, cultural and linguistic challenges in assimilating that another Asian-American might not, if he or she lived in the United States since birth and/or comes from a more affluent background.

A " recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action preserved the system at most selective private schools in which Asian-American students with very high tests scores are passed over in favor of African-American and Hispanic students with lower scores because the schools want significant numbers of all ethnicities on campus. Supporters of such policies say a diverse student body helps everyone learn to live in the real world, and there are plenty of other fine colleges that take students, Asian-American or otherwise, whom they reject." (Matthews 2004). Asian-Americans as a group are often more prominently represented on college campuses (particularly in the Pacific northwest) and in some professions (such as engineering) than Caucasians, which has raised calls for some Asian-Americans not to receive affirmative action's benefits, even if they have experienced discrimination in the recent historical past. "About 17% of Harvard undergraduates are Asians, who make up about 4% of the population. Since the percentage of Asian-Americans at schools of comparable quality that do not practice affirmative action are much higher -- 40% at Berkeley, 50% at selective New York high schools such as Stuyvesant"(Matthews 2004).