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Change Your Names, Asians! Part 1 of 2

Some of our readers may have heard about the buzz amongst the Asian-Americans that’s been headlining news, specifically in the state of Texas -- and if you haven’t, and you’re Asian-American, then you should.

In early April the Asian-American community in Texas were riled and infuriated after Texas Representative Betty Brown -- a member of the Texas House of Representatives -- made a remark on how Asian-American voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.” Asian-Americans, from many parts of the country -- even New York City councilman, John C. Liu -- have angrily demanded for Brown to retract her statement and apologize for her remarks. Those who were offended by Brown’s comments, interpreted her statement in the likes of saying, “Asian-Americans aren’t American” and accused the lawmaker for being racist. However, those who have defended Brown, including herself, have argued that her statement was in no way about race; with no intention of malcontent or racial connotation against the Asian-American community; that it was simply to encourage a resolution for those who find difficulty in counting votes submitted by Asian-American voters. Even so, the Asian community in and around Texas and from the far eastern coasts of the United States, feel that her comments reflect some hidden truths to how many Americans continue to condescendingly perceive Asian-Americans as a foreign identity and not American.

The comment was brought up in a hearing between the House Elections Committee and the Organization of Chinese Americans, represented by Ramey Ko, who gave testimony against a proposed bill in the Texas Legislature that would require voters to obtain a Voter’s ID card. When the topic came up about the difficulty in transliterating Asian names, Brown quickly made the comment in question.

Before she apologized for her comments, Brown stood firmly with her remarks as she denied accusations of being a racist and continued to defend her suggestion for the name-change policy. In the end, Brown apologized for her statement but only after persistent urging from Asian-American communities both near and far.

(click here to watch the Betty Brown hearing)

Immigration is still a big topic and issue for the United States. For a country that has offered so much opportunity and cultural integration before the rest of the world, it has continued to show its ignorance and intolerance toward foreign nationalities and ethnicities. But what else is new? Some foreigners who have lived in the US for decades and still haven’t been naturalized, believe in the American ideals so much that they pride on it more than their own country. Their journey of hardship, struggles, obstacles and triumphs begin with the stamp of their name. Some have kept it as a way to stay connected with their homeland while others changed it as a symbol to steer away from the pains and poverty of their origins and to guide them toward the life they dream. Yet, to this day, Americans with ethnic backgrounds continue to face hardship amongst others whilst being perceived as a foreign entity without any connection to the American roots and ideals. But since the boom in immigrant settlement in the late 19th century, the American image has evolved into a blend of mixed societies.

Perhaps assimilation differs between European immigrants and Asian immigrants because of the reasons they came to this country in the first place, but this turns out to be false. European immigration goes all the way back to the settling of America and during the industrial age, is well documented. They traveled to America for a variety of reasons. Many came with the dream of prosperity, whether it was through land or a job. It was a common saying that the “streets were paved in gold” and many people actually believed this. Most came and stayed, while a small percentage returned home with the money they made. Others came to escape persecution like the pilgrims did before them, whether political, religious, or something else. Still, others came to escape the law, political turmoil, war, revolution, or natural catastrophe, many Irish being the most well known example of the latter because of the Irish Potato Famine. They nearly all have one thing in common though: they all wanted to better themselves, to cut their roots and start a new life, a fresh start, a clean slate, an opportunity. If the zero generation did not assimilate, the first generation would be much more likely to adopt the culture of the new land, because they had grown up in it, while eschewing for the most part, the ways of the “old country,” although the color barrier cannot be ignored, as Europeans could easily blend in with Americans who were largely European in origin,some Southern Europeans perhaps experiencing more difficulty with this due to their darker complexions. Europeans also have perceived superficial similarities in culture. Though first perceived as the “other,” European immigrants were gradually accepted into American society and culture, making important contributions to each.

Ellis Island’s history as a center for immigration begins at the end of the 19th century. From 1855 to 1890, Castle Garden in the Battery served as the immigration station for the state of New York. Mostly Northern and Western Europeans came to America this way. Eventually, Castle Garden could not keep up with the growing immigration, and its staff was found to be substandard. The government constructed the immigration center on Ellis Island, and it opened in 1892. Although New York Harbor was not the only port of entry for immigrants, it was the most popular. Most are familiar with immigrants having to endure a battery of exams upon entering Ellis Island, with the fear of being sent back to where they came. First-class and second-class passengers didn’t have to run the proverbial gauntlet that was Ellis Island though. They were inspected while still onboard their ships and as long as they cleared medically and legally, were free to enter the country without going to Ellis Island. Third-class passengers however, did not have this luxury. They were transported to the immigration center and if everything was in order, the inspection would last about three to five hours. “The Island of Tears” moniker, may have had more bark than bite, as only two percent of arriving immigrants were turned back, the main reasons being disease and legal reasons.

A popular story of Ellis Island is that many families had their names changed by the immigration officers upon entry due to the “complexity” or “length” of one’s name or confusion. This is even reflected in one of Hollywood’s most celebrated films, The Godfather: Part II. In the movie, we learn that Vito Corleone is actually Vito Andolini, and when he comes to America, the immigration officer at Ellis Island changes his name due to confusing the town he was from for his surname. While this may have happened, Ellis Island claims immigration officers took names from ship manifests, which would’ve been prepared in the immigrant’s country, so the errors in spelling could have occurred anywhere from when the person bought the ticket, which was usually near where they lived, to when they arrived on Ellis Island as these were handwritten at least until the advent of the typewriter. It is almost certain though that some names were indeed altered in these manners and/or due to these other circumstances.

Asian immigrants also have a long history in immigration, beginning with plantations in Hawaii during the founding of the nation for East/Southeast Asians and the Colonial era for South Asians. They mostly came from East and Southeast Asia during the industrial age and came to America for a variety of reasons as well, just as the Europeans had. The lure of Gold Mountain, which is what the Chinese referred to California as, was one of their initial attractions at first, but other opportunities came as well, and they also had factors that repelled them away. Many stayed in the U. S. despite the ill treatment they received. The same thing happened with the Japanese, who thought they could avoid the pitfalls the Chinese fell into, but they were wrong, as were the Filipinos after them and the Koreans and Indians. Each of the East Asian groups that came over had the idea they would do better than the last, only to pigeonholed in along with their predecessors. Asians, have always been seen as the “other” though, and treated unfairly. They can’t blend in with Europeans because their physical appearance is different from them; their cultures are perceived to be strange and different, as well as their diet from Europeans’. Like the Europeans though, the immigrants held onto what culture they could. Some parents sent their children to special schools where they would learn the language and culture of their ancestral lands in addition to their public education, in hopes that they would retain them, at least some of them. This is still practiced today by some. Later generations were much less likely to be sent to these schools or hold onto their culture so tightly or at all, especially due to their perceived perpetual foreignness to the majority. They wanted to be seen as American more than anything else, only to give up part of who they are and still be seen as outsiders no matter what they did, unlike the Europeans who were slowly accepted over time as they climbed the social and economic ladders. While Asians may be becoming accepted, it is happening at a much slower rate, in orders of magnitude. After World War II though, Asians came to this country from many more areas than before: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos for example. Asian Americans have been in the U. S. for a long time like many of the Europeans, yet they are still not accepted as American by the general population, no matter what they do. Even Asians from Asia think American equals white today. While it seems that newer Asian immigrants to the U. S. are a bit wiser about holding onto those aspects of their cultures they cherish and their continuing perception to the majority, this could also just be a generational thing, as Asians continue to immigrate to the U. S. to this day.

When word of the California Gold Rush reached what was then called Canton (Romanized Chinese as Kwangtung) in 1848 many Chinese wagered their lives and boarded ships to the fabled Gam saan [金山] in hopes of striking it rich, with little to keep them in what is today called Gwongdong (in standard Cantonese) as the province suffered from the aftermath of their defeat in the First Opium War (1839 -1842) the then current Second Opium War (1856 – 1860) and the Taiping Rebellion (1850 – 1864) a revolt against the Qing government, along with a variety of natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and typhoons. This journey consisted almost entirely of men from the area known as Toisan (Mandarin – Taishan) in Gwongdong, and it is estimated over 75% of all overseas Chinese can trace their ancestry to that area. Very few women made the trek to Gold Mountain. At first, the Chinese were welcomed in California, despite only being allowed to mine old claims, tame forms of discrimination compared to what was to come. They were praised for their industriousness and agricultural knowledge, though still viewed as inferior; they were not hated. They played vital roles cultivating California’s farmland and building its infrastructure, the most famous being the Transcontinental Railroad. Many came to work on it. The team that constructed the Central Pacific branch was mostly Chinese and proved many skeptics they were very capable workers, but none of this was enough to earn the Chinese the respect they deserved. When the gold ran out, whites turned on the Chinese, even the law was not to be on their side.

The culmination of the anti-Chinese movement resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act. Passed on May 6, 1882, the act repealed the Burlingame Treaty between China and the U.S. which also encouraged immigration. The door of opportunity was shut and essentially placed under lock, key, barricade, and armed guard for Chinese Americans for ten years, only officials, teachers, students, merchants, and travelers were allowed to enter. They had to obtain certification from the Chinese government that they were not laborers, which was difficult to prove. An amendment in the form of the Scott Act in 1888 banned the Chinese from leaving the country and those abroad from reentering. Exclusion was renewed for another ten years, as well as additional restrictions added. Because only Europeans could naturalize, the Chinese could not bring over their wives or families, and since interracial marriage was illegal, especially with whites, it was very hard for them to start families. The Exclusion Acts were the first major laws restricting immigration to the U. S. and the only ones ever to target a specific nationality or ethnic group. The laws brought Chinese immigration to a trickle and left them to fend for themselves, unprotected by the law.

-- end of part I

written by Joe Lee and Takeru Maeda

Correction 6/3/09


It was implied in this article laws against interracial marriage banned all interracial marriages. The laws only made non-whites marrying whites illegal. They didn't concern marriage between minorities.