Channey Williams
Blog entry
March 6, 2014
The history of immigration in Louisville begins synonymously
with the history of immigration in the United States. Immigration to the United
States in large noticeable influxes began after the War of Independence in
1776, as the United States first established political power with a hopeful and
expanding economy in both agriculture and industry. The Immigration act of 1891
established the Office of Immigration. The Supreme Court determined at the time
that immigration was a federal responsibility. Later in 1921 a quota system was
put in place by the Emergency Quota Act, and was intended to protect U.S.
workers losing their jobs to equally skilled foreigners. However, the Act
reflected the racist attitudes of the century. Since the quota was inspired by
the national census of the time, many marginalized groups pushed for their
‘right to be white’ on the U.S. census. Although a quota system is still in
place today, a push from the Civil Rights Movement resulted in the removal of
racial distinctions and a rewrite of the immigration and naturalization act of
1965. Modernly, more research had been done into the statistics of foreign born
people in the Louisville area, with particular emphasis on their children, many
of whom may simply be easier to reach for survey. Some statistics on immigrants
in Louisville are as follows:
·
Of all the foreign born Louvilians in the
workforce, 3.3 % are low wage workers, and 5.15% are low skill workers
·
In Louisville, across the board and divided by
region, foreign born males were significantly higher in employment then foreign
born women.
·
The Hourly wage for workers in Louisville by
place of birth, when compared to native born works to foreign works, did not
fall far from one another, with native born works making about $13 an hour and
foreign born workers making about $12 an hour. However, when divided into
regions, Latin Americans, African s and ‘others’( at $9 dollars an hour) made
less then Asian and Pacific groups( $14 an
hour) and European and Oceanic groups ($13 dollars an hour)
·
15% of children who show to be Limited English
Proficient(LEP) are the children of immigrants, as a opposed to the 1% of
native born children.
·
The wages for immigrants that were English
proficient was about $13 an hour, in comparison to those that were not, who
averaged at a wage of $9 an hour.
Source: The Metro
Louisville Office of International Affairs, A
Profile of the Foreign Born in the Louisville Metropolitan Area, R. Capps. K.Fortuny. W. Zimmerman. W. Bullock. E. Henderson. Louisville,
KY.2011
One of the newest statistics is that by 2016 white Americans will become one of the newest minority racial groups in America. I believe it is one of the reasons for the push on limiting immigration, refugee, and asylees in America. Another reason is the need for more employment, but the employment rate has declined to 6.7% this month. In Arizona, the law enforcement is making individuals wear their green card or proof that he or she belongs in America. It is racial profiling which the police may ask, “Does he or she look like they are from Mexico?” It is legalized discrimination on a sect of the American Population. Yes, we have many legal and illegal immigrants in the United States. So what needs to be done? We need immigrants for the workforce and rekindling the productivity in our communities. It’s a symbiotic relationship for nurturing and vitalizing new opportunities.
ReplyDeleteIn this post, it addresses the differences between pay for proficient and limited English speaking immigrants. I notice this at the Galt House Hotel & Suites. Unlike many companies, the Galt House employees individuals from all over the world and provide interpreters for the foreign employees. These immigrants are learning English as they work, but also the company offers free buffet style meals, computer classes, health fairs, financial counseling, and much more. The Galt House has been honored as the healthiest workplace in Louisville, Ky. Again, what I noticed is those limited English speaking immigrants are working behind the scenes in the kitchens, housekeeping, stewarding, and service areas. Those proficient English speaking immigrants are working in public areas having direct contact with hotel guests. I agree with this post and I desire that all immigrants learn to speak English fluently. Then it opens up new opportunities for future endeavors. You check out the unemployment rate at "National Unemployment Monthly Update through this website: U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics Press Release for the National Conference of State Legislature.