“It's Different Here”: Complicating Concepts of College Knowledge and First Generation through an Immigrant Lens

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Chrystal A. George Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Preparation ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Knowledge ◽  
K 12 ◽  
First Generation To College ◽  
College Educated ◽  
The U.S

Background/Context Children of immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. child population, and these children are increasingly entering the U.S. educational pipeline and seeking access to college. Gaining access to college in the United States requires college knowledge. Yet, obtaining college knowledge can be difficult for immigrant families, who may lack familiarity with the U.S. education system. Although one third of all immigrants possess a college degree, many earned their degree abroad or in the United States as international students and/or adult learners. Therefore, the children of college-educated immigrants may be the first in their family to seek access to college via the U.S. K–12 system. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study explores how African immigrant multigenerational families engage in college preparation. All families had at least one parent who had attained a college degree. In each family, the college-educated parent(s) either received their degree abroad or received their degree in the United States as an international student or adult returning student. The research questions are: How do immigrant families explain navigating the college-going process when their children are first in the family to prepare for college via the U.S. K–12 system? How do immigrant families describe their level of comfort with college preparation when their children are first in the family to prepare for college via the U.S. K–12 system? Research Design A qualitative, multiple case design was used. Findings/Results The findings demonstrate that although the children in this study were not first generation to college in a traditional sense, they experienced many of the same challenges. For the families in this study, the parents possessed institutionalized capital but often lacked what emerged as “U.S.-based college knowledge,” which impacted their experience with the college choice process. Conclusions/Recommendations Families’ lack of familiarity with the U.S. college preparation process (college testing, academic tracking, cost of college/financial aid) leads to a call for complicating concepts of “college knowledge” and “first generation” to college in a globalized society.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Family Violence in Immigrant Communities in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Abha Rai ◽  
Susan F. Grossman ◽  
Nathan H. Perkins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Family Violence ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
The Family ◽  
Employment Guarantee ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatening implications for all individuals; and has been particularly unsettling for immigrants. Given their unique positionality in the U.S., the intersectional discussion about the impact of this pandemic on immigrants and issues of family violence is salient. The position of some groups of immigrant women is even more precarious due to the increased dependency on their spouse/partner for emotional, economic and immigration-related reasons. While immigrants have been on the frontlines as responders for COVID-19, there are limited policies that provide them with healthcare, employment guarantee, or benefits. Further, the immigration restrictions created by the U.S. Government have worsened the position of immigrants. All these stressors create unprecedented challenges for immigrants. Therefore, it is vital to delve into the family dynamics, unique challenges, and potential solutions that can provide support to immigrant families. This commentary highlights the atypical challenges of immigrants in relation to the pandemic and how these challenges may impact the incidence of family violence. Through our discussion, we hope to encourage social work scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates to support and advocate for immigrants; especially, during the new normal under the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Experiencing Anti-Immigrant Policies on Both Sides of the U.S./Mexico Borderland: A Comparative Study of Mexican and Iranian Families

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Candel ◽  
Shahla Fayazpour
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Mexican Immigrants ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mexican Immigrant ◽  
Mexican Immigrant Families ◽  
Immigrant Policies ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Trump Administration

The experiences of Mexican and Iranian immigrant families are often unheard and unpacked. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how race, ethnicity, and national identity are at the core of the sociopolitical and economic issues that Latino and Iranian families undergo in the United States. Using critical race theory as a framework, this research analyzed the ways in which Mexican immigrant families who were deported, and Iranian-immigrant families living in the United States, have been differently affected by post 9/11 anti-immigrant policies and by zero tolerance policies enacted by the Trump administration. The research question guiding this study was: How do U.S. anti-immigrant policies affect Iranian and Mexican immigrant families and their children’s futures? Our findings uncovered that both groups were negatively affected, however, in different ways. Iranian immigrant parents worried about their socioeconomic status in the United States and their children’s future. They also feared that their relatives might not be able to visit them due to the U.S. Muslim Travel Ban placed on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. On the other hand, Mexican immigrants who lived in the United States undocumented were deported to Mexico. However, after deportation, and responding to the threat of the Trump administration to deport millions more, the Mexican government provided dual citizenship to U.S.-born children of Mexican returnees to facilitate their access to government services, including education. All people and place names are pseudonyms.

scholarly journals Feather Boas, Black Hoodies, and John Deere Hats: Discussions of Diversity in K-12 and Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-310
Author(s):  
Tamala Martin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
The United States ◽  
Learning Modules ◽  
Culturally Responsive Practices ◽  
United States Population ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The U.S

According to the 2010 Census, it is reported that White individuals made up 60.1% of the United States’ population, yielding a population of nearly 40% of individuals from various other races. Given the diverse nature of the U.S., culturally responsive practices and learning modules are imperative to the health and growth of our nation. Joseph R. Jones’ metaphorically titled book Feather Boas, Black Hoodies, and John Deere Hats: Discussions of Diversity in K- 12 and Higher Education speaks to inequities experienced by those entrenched in the fate of “other-ism” by the lack of inclusivity in such a way that galvanizes the reader to relate and reflect on their own experience enough to want to have a conversation.   

Youth on Their Own

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Nina Rabin ◽  
Cecilia Menjívar
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Young People ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
National Belonging ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Legal Immigration ◽  
The U.S

This chapter considers the experiences of youth with ties to Mexico who are living without their parents in the United States as a result of immigration enforcement. The authors analyze interviews with youth in Southern Arizona, about two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, while the remainder were undocumented, DACA recipients, or had other forms of legal immigration status. The chapter considers the complex family structures and living arrangements of these youth. Their diverse experiences capture the varied and often heart-wrenching decisions immigrant families make about where young people are most likely to thrive. The youth described their sense of national belonging, their views of the U.S. government, their experiences with the detention and/or deportation of a parent, their language and cultural backgrounds, and their views of how the border shapes their hopes and dreams for the future. Many voiced a precocious sense of responsibility for their parents’ futures as well as an alarming misunderstanding of the viable legal options available to arrange legal residency or status for themselves and their families..

Stressors among Hispanic adults from immigrant families in the United States: Familismo as a context for ambivalence.

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha M. Rojas ◽  
Joseph G. Grzywacz ◽  
Martha I. Zapata Roblyer ◽  
Rebecca Crain ◽  
Richard C. Cervantes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hispanic Adults

An American Language

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosina Lozano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Recognition ◽  
Political Language ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

An American Language is a political history of the Spanish language in the United States. The nation has always been multilingual and the Spanish language in particular has remained as an important political issue into the present. After the U.S.-Mexican War, the Spanish language became a language of politics as Spanish speakers in the U.S. Southwest used it to build territorial and state governments. In the twentieth century, Spanish became a political language where speakers and those opposed to its use clashed over what Spanish's presence in the United States meant. This book recovers this story by using evidence that includes Spanish language newspapers, letters, state and territorial session laws, and federal archives to profile the struggle and resilience of Spanish speakers who advocated for their language rights as U.S. citizens. Comparing Spanish as a language of politics and as a political language across the Southwest and noncontiguous territories provides an opportunity to measure shifts in allegiance to the nation and exposes differing forms of nationalism. Language concessions and continued use of Spanish is a measure of power. Official language recognition by federal or state officials validates Spanish speakers' claims to US citizenship. The long history of policies relating to language in the United States provides a way to measure how U.S. visions of itself have shifted due to continuous migration from Latin America. Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are crucial arbiters of Spanish language politics and their successes have broader implications on national policy and our understanding of Americans.

Palestine Unbound

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-134
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
The Us ◽  
Intention To Move ◽  
Arab Israeli Conflict ◽  
The U.S

This section, updated regularly on the blog Palestine Square, covers popular conversations related to the Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict during the quarter 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018: #JerusalemIstheCapitalofPalestine went viral after U.S. president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced his intention to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The arrest of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi for slapping an Israeli soldier also prompted a viral campaign under the hashtag #FreeAhed. A smaller campaign protested the exclusion of Palestinian human rights from the agenda of the annual Creating Change conference organized by the US-based National LGBTQ Task Force in Washington. And, UNRWA publicized its emergency funding appeal, following the decision of the United States to slash funding to the organization, with the hashtag #DignityIsPriceless.

The French Way

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Kuisel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
French Language ◽  
French Cinema ◽  
Free Markets ◽  
Technology Sector ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
Politics And Culture ◽  
The U.S

There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as “le weekend” has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: “The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic.” Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. The book shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed Americ's “jungle capitalism” while liberalizing its own economy; attacked “Reaganomics” while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. The book examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States, but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, the book asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization. Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, this book delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.

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