Introduction
Immigrants to the United States have often faced discrimination based on race and nationality. Ethnic groups are a category of people who identify with each other based on similarities such as common ancestry, language, history, society, culture or nation. Ethnicity is usually an inherited status based on the society in which one lives. The United States is a racially and ethnically diverse population. There are several types of racial groups which includes, white American, black or African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, etc. The Haitian ethnic group is what I will be discussing in this paper and their journey in migrating to the United States. Also, the similarities and differences of beliefs, values, communication, population, and living conditions, compared to that of the United States.
Migration
The origin of the Haitian population in Haiti and they migrated to the United States and some to the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Turk, and other West Indian Islands between 1957 to 1982 and still coming (Congress, 2018). Haitians who have attempted to enter this country have encountered all sort of discrimination, especially since the late 1970s. In addition, they experienced many unbearable conditions in their country. For example, political instability, deep poverty, natural disasters, such as the devastating earthquake in 2010, corrupting government, and poor land.
Even the good land was eroding. Until the late 1950s, only about five hundred Haitians permanently immigrated to the U.S. each year, while another 3,000 came temporarily as tourists, students, or businesspeople (Batalova, 2017). There are two scenario’s that one can become a citizen. First, to become a citizen at birth, you must have been born in the United States or certain territories outside of the United States and that is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Secondly, you can have a parent who was citizens at the time of your birth but there can be other requirements involved.
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The next scenario is to become a citizen after birth, one needs to apply for citizenship through a parent, and apply for nationalization. Nationalization is a test that applicants must take that involves them knowing English and civics. When taking the practice citizenship quiz, I received a score of 95%. In comparison to the Haitians testing versus my experience of taking the citizenship quiz, I feel it was less pressure and stress for me. This is because I am already a citizen and the preparation was not necessary. However, the Haitian group has to prepare and study so when they present themselves before the interviewer, they have to be able to answer selective questions and their citizenship will be then approved by the interviewer.
Values and Beliefs
When we look at Americans and Haitians, there are both similarities and differences when it comes to beliefs and values. American beliefs are centered around freedom, religion, and values. As for the Haitian ethnic groups, their beliefs are focused on religion, education, and proper health. Gender roles were similar to the American people, the men were expected to be the head of the house and the women were expected to take care of the house and the children. However, over time we clearly see that this is changing in America. Now, we have families sharing equal responsibilities where both spouses may work outside the house and take care of the children. Although both groups practice religion, small parts of Haitian groups include the practice of Voodoo (International, 2013). Meanwhile, American values are diversity, individualism, unity, equality, liberty, and self-government. Many Haitian values are traditional and conservative such as, being respectful and family. Family, education, and their religion is a very big part of their lives.
Communication
Communication is a very important aspect of lives because it helps us make connections and build relationships with others. Not to mention, it helps us to be able to express our emotions in letting others know what we are feeling and thinking. Communication also allows us to build social skills which are needed to be able to function properly in society. People communicate in different types of ways which can consist of verbal and nonverbal. For example, In Haiti, greetings are exchanged a little different there than when entering here in the United States.
For Instance, In the United States, communication and interaction with others are usually done in way of a handshake, kiss on the cheek or lips, and social media. However, in Haiti when greeting friends, men generally shake hands. Women will exchange two kisses, the same as men do with female friends. Children are taught early to respect their elders and to formally greet visitors to their home. Nevertheless, no matter what society’s conditions, Haitians celebrate life with joy, laughter, and dancing; Haitians are warm, friendly, and generous people who are proud of their culture and history (International, 2013).
Living Conditions
Today, Haiti still face environmental risks, such as widespread deforestation, pollution from industry, and limited access to safe water and sanitation. Thus, due to the unsafe conditions of their water, many of the Haitian people contracted diseases such as Cholera. Cholera is an infectious bacterial disease of the small intestine that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even death. Almost one-third of people live with food insecurity due to the ongoing drought affecting much of the country. Also, Haiti is still below poverty. After the major earthquake in 2010, some people were killed and still remain homeless.
Others are living in displacement camps where they have not received proper assistance from the government (Project, 2018). Nevertheless, Haiti is working with charitable organizations like Habitat to make improvements for their people and overcome adversity. In addition, Haiti still struggles with government roadblocks such as fraud of elections, overcrowding prison system cause inmates to live in inhuman conditions, illiteracy barriers when it comes to language and education, and violation of human rights and women.
In conclusion, the immigrants encountered the problems and difficulties common to many new arrivals, compounded by the fact that the Haitians were ‘triple minorities’: they were foreigners, spoke a language (Haitian Creole) that no one else did, and they were black. In addition, the attitude of the U. S. population concerning the Haitian immigration was encouraged in the beginning of them coming to the United States but later changed around 1980 when the population increased causing the United States to feel that the Haitian group was taking over their jobs.
This could very well serve as an example of Scapegoating theory. According to our reading, Scapegoating theory is a person or group blamed irrationally for another person’s or group’s problems or difficulties (Schaefer, 2018). The United States was blaming the Haitian people for their own failures and saw them as a threat. In my opinion, I do feel like the journey was worth it for the Haitians to migrated to the United States because everyone deserves to have equal opportunity, freedom, and a chance to create a better life for their families.
