The Challenges of Assimilating : Each generation of Chinese-Americans faces a different set of hurdles in gaining the full benefits of citizenship.

The Chinese-American community is still at least 50 years away from its goal of receiving the full benefits of citizenship. More needs to be done in legislation, jobs, politics, education and affirmative action.

If you are a first-generation Chinese-American, you have a problem getting a good-paying job. You might have a skill in the old country, but it’s not usable here.

If you are a doctor or a dentist, you have to go to school again to get your credentials. It doesn’t matter if you practiced in China or other Southeast Asian countries for 40 or 50 years, and it’s the same with other professions such as engineering and education. Many immigrants have to relearn and re-educate themselves. If you are smart, you can get retrained in three or four years. If you are slow and have problems with the language, it can take you forever.

Some of the first generation who came here 50 or 60 years ago are still not quite assimilated into society and the economy, and some do not have a command of the English language. They work in Chinatown where they don’t need English, but the pay is not that good. Despite the movement of many Chinese-Americans to the suburbs, Chinatown remains a hub for the Chinese culture. Our financial institutions are there. Other businesses are there and some of our main restaurants there are cultural gathering places.

Those in the second, third, fourth and fifth generations have different problems. Most of them went through college and may have a few degrees and special training. But their worry is getting out of college and finding work when jobs are scarce.

The economic downturn has greatly affected the Chinese-American community in retail businesses--grocery stores and restaurants are the hardest hit.

In Chinatown, I see many closing up, even those in business 20 or 30 years. Small mama-and-papa restaurants that don’t have to hire any help are the ones surviving. They are competing with the mainline restaurants which have to hire people, pay prevailing wages and whatever. It takes money to run a restaurant, and if you don’t have volume, you’re going to lose.

When Chinese-American professionals earn good salaries, they start to spend. They have a home, cars and a lifestyle that is quite expensive. That’s what they learn about in the United States--how to spend money. When they lose the job, they have problems. They lose their house or are forced to sell. Many don’t have a base here, but others may go to live with a relative until they can recoup again.

Hate crimes, racial tensions and biases are also affecting the community. After three wars Americans have fought in Asia, prejudice is still ingrained in the minds of some people. In Louisiana, for example, a Japanese student did not understand English too well and the guy was shot to death because he was told to freeze and he did not understand what freeze meant.

Closer to home, there are tensions in San Marino where some Chinese-American families have moved. Problems developed in school between Anglo and Chinese-American students. Chinese-Americans moving into the San Gabriel Valley are facing a lot of stiff attitudes by older people who have been living there for generations. They see you living next door and they don’t understand your attitudes and idiosyncrasies. The first thing that comes to their mind is that you are a foreigner and they don’t want anything to do with you.

But in another way, (part of the problem) is the provincialism of the Chinese people. Usually they stick to themselves and don’t get involved with the community. That is one of the major things we try to educate the Chinese people about: that they have to get involved in their neighborhood and community. Once they get past that hurdle, I would say that some of the problems will evaporate.

The alliance is also working on affirmative action and redistricting. In California, 10% of the population is Asian but if you look at government, there are very few elected Asian officials in Sacramento and Washington. In the old country, the Chinese do not believe in the government. Here, a lot are very complacent too. They don’t exercise their freedom to vote.