Why Immigrants?
If you live in an urban area, it's hard not to notice the curious fact that no matter how African-American the city or neighborhood you're in is, the people running corner stores and dry cleaners are almost invariably immigrants (including, at least in DC, immigrants from Africa). Insofar as this phenomenon gets discussed at all, it tends to take on a rather offensive tone (suggesting, in essence, that if black people just dusted themselves off a little and acted more like Jews/Koreans/Bangladeshis/whomever then all would be well) but one way or another it's certainly noticeable and interesting.
And one of the great things about the blogosphere is that without even knowing somebody who's cite you read can turn out to have bona fide information about random subjects. Steven Teles, for example, turns out to have coedited a book called Ethnicity, Social Mobility and Public Policy in the US and UK and lays the whole thing out here.
"Site," I think. I wouldn't mention it, but the sentence is a bit confusing with that specific mistake.
August 19, 2006 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why do all your posts have a "Read More" link whether or not they contain additional content? It was not always like that.
August 19, 2006 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
My own familiarity is with Sierra Leoneans, but is likely to be typical of many immigrant communities. In business terms, it's microloans and affinity marketing.
A few years ago, some of my African friends asked me to help with the mechanics of such economic development. They created a list of about 25 working people, and then drew lots to find who would receive capital in what order. The people who drew good positions asked, in their ethnic community, what things were needed and might make a useful store, run out of homes or commercial space. Each member contributed some number of dollars per month -- ISTR $50 or so -- and the likely candidates explained what they planned to do, and obtained consensus of what the community would buy. In my friend's case, she imported bulk dried fish and palm kernel oil, as well as their idea of hot peppers. I'm afraid the dried fish doesn't really appeal to me, my genetics are wrong for palm kernel oil not to clog my arteries at fifty paces, but I was known as the crazy American that could eat hotter peppers than they would touch.
As the business grew, it reinvested some profits and repaid other funds into the capital pool. The next business, again something that could be run from home, imported African cloth and made traditional, comfortable garments. I have a shirt that is supposed to bring luck.
Koreans have been doing this sort of thing for some time, and now are getting businesses large enough to provide employment, subsidiary stores, etc.
--
Howard
*equal opportunity offense to both extremes*
August 20, 2006 1:58 AM | Reply | Permalink