Saturday, October 13, 2012

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination

Since my last blog in June 2011 I have graduated from the University of Phoenix with an Associates Degree in Psychology.  Keeping in line with my past blogs I have decided to post some of my work beginning with my own history (maternal) followed by some of my other essays from various classes.  I hope that in doing so, it will help others to strive for the achievement that I have obtained.  I hope you enjoy the following:




After researching family birth and death certificates on the maternal side of my family, it has been discovered that I am the daughter of a Swedish-American descendant.  My great- grandfather was born in Jokkmokk, Sweden in 1898.  Conditions in Sweden along with the economic opportunities in the United States were creating the push pull effect that had many Swedish families immigrating at that time (Blanck, 2009; Quigley, 1972).  According to Swedish historical records, from the “seventies through 1908’’ the push to emigrate was due in part to agriculture difficulties; however, the industrial pull from America played an ever bigger role (Quigley, 1972, p. 113).  As employment opportunities for my great-great-grandfather decreased in Sweden, the decision to emigrate to the United States, were there was economic prosperity, was made (p. 114).  In 1903 together with his wife and two small children, my relatives boarded one of many ships headed toward their new destination; the United States.  My great-grandfather was only four when he arrived in the United States.

The family quickly became residence of a large Swedish-American community in Seattle, Washington.  According to Blank (2009), of all Swedish-Americans in the United States almost 10% lived along the West Coast with the majority of them growing up in the Seattle-Tacoma area (para. 9).  Living in a predominantly Swedish community offered access to social, cultural, and religious acceptance.  Blank also found “The largest organizations were the various religious denominations founded by Swedish immigrants in the United States” (Blank, 2009, para. 12).  Over the last century my family has been with the Lutheran Church.  According to Steven Bean, Archives Specialist (1993) “The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church embodied and expressed a Lutheran tradition in America that originated in Sweden” (Bean, 1993, para. 1).   I remember the day my grandparents had my brother and I was baptized in the Lutheran Church.  They were so proud.  Although Swedish Americans formed large communities to provide more access to cultural and religious freedoms, it appears Swedish immigrants were treated with prejudice and racism only while in Sweden.  Once in the United States a pluralist attitude was experienced by new immigrants from existing Americans and Swedish-Americans.  This in part may have been because most Swedish immigrants where white, literate, educated, and filled needed work roles.  According to Schaefer (2006) subordinate minority groups have five characteristics that make them targets for prejudice and racism, one is “Members of a minority group share physical or cultural characteristics that distinguish them from the dominant group, such as skin color or language” (p. 6).  It appears the similarities in color and need fulfillment helped to create acceptance for Swedish immigrants and the Swedish-American culture.

On October 7, 1911 my great-great-grandfather became a citizen of the United Stated through naturalization.  Upon his naturalization the entire family became citizens.  Today women must obtain their own naturalization; however, prior to 1922 women and children became citizens upon their husbands and fathers naturalization, known as derivative citizenship (Lenzen, 2002).  In 1915 my great-grandfather was married to an American woman and in 1917 he joined the American forces in World War I.  My grandfather was born the following year.  It is not clear whether my family was directly affected by cultural prejudices; however, records indicate the family had their last name changed in 1919 to one that was more Americanized.  Because Swedish-Americans were taken into the fold of mainstream American and they came from a country that was based heavily on prejudice and discrimination, I can only imagine they also participated in some form of discrimination in America.  Swedish immigrants came to America to fill needed positions in the marketplace.  For those immigrating to fulfill agricultural roles or considered low skilled workers, many were placed in dual labor market situations.  Without consideration for standards of living, workers are paid less than standard wages or even under the table.  Affirmative action policies have helped in the fight for equal rights by all to have access to equal employment, jobs, and education.  Having the opportunity to be educated in Seattle, Washington my great-grandfather was an engineer in the United States Marine Corp.  In May 1924 he was transferred and moved the entire family to California; where they lived until I was a young girl.  My grandfather also went to school and became an engineer.  With the advent of World War II he joined the Coast Guard, along with many men of other American ethnic cultures and was off to war.  He was aboard the U.S.S. SAN PEDRO (PF-37) and earned his stars for battles and rescues in the South Pacific (U.S. Coast Guard, n.d.).  In 1943, while on shore leave my grandfather, like so many other young soldiers during the war, met a woman and married.  My mother was born in 1945.

This is the first time I have looked at my maternal genealogy in quite this way.  Although Swedish-American heritage is part of my life I do not think, as an ethnic group, we had as many struggles to be a part of the United States mainstream culture as many other ethnic groups did.  What remains today of Swedish-American customs are faith, food, family, and holiday traditions.  I can identify with both my Swedish ancestor’s and why they wanted to come to America as well as my American ancestry.  I also believe that by possessing the ability to maintain homeland customs and to blend those traditions into an everyday routine of the American lifestyle, Swedish-Americans have added to the melting pot that is mainstream American culture.





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