California's 'majority minority' status is a source of strength

"The first step toward creating a community of our dreams is to tell our stories," said Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, executive director of San Jose-based non-profit SOMOS Mayfair. She was trying to explain how her organization supports children, organizes families and connects neighbors in order to address systemic inequalities.

When I first heard her make her point, I thought she was either too romantic or too idealistic. I doubted her approach could help solve the deteriorating ethnic issues in California, a state that struggles with immigration issues.

Demographically, immigration has been transforming California's political and economic landscape since the 1960s, when Latino and Asian populations grew rapidly. According to the US Census Bureau, no single ethnic group will account for more than half of the state's entire population by 2030.

Given the fact that California is the nation's most populous state, dramatic change in the makeup of its population in recent decades has complicated the already-complex competition among groups, something not rare in a "majority minority" state.

Debates rage on a range of ethnic-related issues, but especially whether and how the government should take ethnicity into consideration when allocating public resources and benefits.

As a San Franciscan, I have witnessed in recent years how some of the substantial differences in ideology have torn at the society and created heated controversies among ethnic groups.

On Sunday night I met people from five leading ethnic groups in California - Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Filipinos and Vietnamese - at a gathering at the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum to take part in an event titled "Our common ground" and discuss what the "American Dream" means for an immigrant.

Called the Community Dinner Conversation, the project is designed to encourage immigrant families to share their cultural heritage, likes and dislikes about being in the US, and more importantly, what immigrant families want to teach their children about their roots.

Eight organizers representing diverse ethnic groups, such as the Chinese-American Citizens for Better Community, the Indian Community Center and SOMOS Mayfair, reached out to their members to have some of their families' stories told.

One exercise at the program involved nostalgia. "Pick one item of your original country and tell the people next to you what it has reminded you of about your heritage," said Steve Cho, a veteran volunteer and past president at CBC, who led a group table conversation.

On the table, a wide array of items and utensils were on display, objects that reflected specific ethnic characteristics - a Mexican tortilla-maker, an Indian yogurt bowl, a Chinese tea pot, Vietnamese rice paper and a Filipino rice-cooker.

Jose Gonzalez, a San Jose resident who immigrated to the US 27 years ago, held a ceramic pot, saying his grandmother used to cook bean soup for the entire family when it was harvest season and all members needed to race against the weather and voles to get the fields harvested.

"Life in Mexico was tough, so I managed to leave at an early age," said Gonzalez, who is in his late 40s and the father of three children. "I tried Colorado and Michigan, but I didn't like the weather so I settled down in San Jose and made it my last home.

"I like this country because I know this is a place where as long as I work hard, I will earn the life that I want," he added.

Chris Lu, a software engineer who came to the US in 2000 to further his studies, said he never realized that the minced peanut on top of the Sichuan spicy noodle, a renowned delicacy in China, was introduced from South America.

"There are too many things we've taken for granted and too little do we understand the significant cultural mix that has produced us," said Lu.

"I'm hopeful that my children and their peers will understand how important it is to remain open-minded," he added.

"Individually, we are a minority. But connecting with each other and learning to respect differences of each ethnic group, we will be empowered and become strong," said Steve Cho.

Although many immigrant families expressed their concerns about social problems, including adolescents' easy access to drugs and alcohol, adults believe the inclusiveness of the community and policy transparency will help the young generation grow into global citizens of compassion and sympathy.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.