Essay About Immigration In The 21st Century

I am a first generation Chinese, straight female from a working class family in the twenty-first century living in the United States of America. It is an interesting combination, to say the least. The twenty-first century will be a very important time in history. The War on Terror, China becoming a superpower, Russia’s aggressions, major advances in medicine and technology, an impending global warming crisis. Due to all the amazing technological advancements accomplished, humans in the twenty-first century have an unparalleled ability to impact the course of history. Will we finally find life in space? Will we fail to combat global warming? Will we destroy the Earth in a nuclear war? Will we have flying cars and floating cities? Despite having

some restrictive circumstances, I am part of the modern generation and
Being an immigrant is hard, in any period in time.

The United States has experienced three major waves of immigration since its establishment, from Northern Europe in the mid 1800s, Eastern and Western Europe in the early 1900s, and Latin America and Asia post-1950s. There is strong discrimination and nativist sentiments towards immigrants. Currently, most of these hostilities are targeted towards the Latin American immigrants, especially the Mexican immigrants, despite India and China having large number of immigrants as well. Asian immigrants are invisible in the present immigration debate, which is so important that presidential candidates are making that part of their

platform.
Being Chinese is a huge part of my identity. I feel a lot more connected to Chinese culture and traditional Chinese values, which are largely based on Confucian teachings, because I am first generation. Being Asian in the United States is a bit of a curious situation. We will always be considered foreigners no matter how many previous generations have lived in the United States. African Americans are seen as Americans because their ancestors have been in the U.S. for centuries. Hispanics have living in southwestern United States long before white settlers arrived and are seen as natives of that region. Both of these racial groups are important in American history. They had a huge impact and contribution to American culture. Asians are invisible. We are present in American society but not a significant group.
The image of Asians have changed radically in the U.S.

It was not that long that when the waves of Chinese arrived in California, they were called “heathen chinks” and made fun of for their customs. Now, Asians are considered smart and hard-working. Numerous negative stereotypes still remain but they are nowhere as lethal or malignant as the ones that affect African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Asian Americans also have the highest educational qualifications and the highest average income. They are seen as the “model minority”. This pegs Asian Americans as diligent, intelligent, workers but lacking in traits valued by American society such as creativity, leadership, ambition, and risk-taking. The “model minority” concept not only negatively affects Asians. It is also used to belittle the struggles of other minorities and deny systematic racial oppression. If the Asians can succeed, why can’t

you?
While a plethora of historical events influenced my identity, in this moment in history, I am rather irrelevant. I am a teenager. When history textbooks decades from now write about this era, I will nothing more than a teenager who uses their phone too much and is addicted to social media.