I'm really excited about this new series on immigration in America in the New York Times that will start this Sunday. Education is the first theme, so they'll be talking about systems of learning for English Language Learners and how schools should approach bilingualism. I'm excited what else they have in store.
There's also this really sweet interactive map that allows you to see the concentration of ethnic groups (most by country) in each county in America. It's interesting to put it into numbers - my parents account for two of the 382 Vietnamese-born residents of Benton County in Washington. Crazy.
Interactive Map:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html?hp
I feel that since Obama took office, we've been inundated with first, news about the economy and then second, about ethnic diversity in America. It's really awesome that this aspect of America is getting more attention, but part of me wonders if this is just a fad. I can see the media just moving on this wave of opportunity to do feature stories about people of color and their presence in America in light of our new "accomplishment" of bringing a black man to the White House. I hope that's not the case. Hopefully issues such as bilingualism in school and immigration policy (and the people affected by them) will not be confined to feature stories or special weekend newspaper pull-outs, but will progressively move to mainstream discussion. Take a look at the map - immigrants and people of color are no longer just a niche in America. The United States is more multicultural now than ever.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment