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Black Identities : West Indian Immigrant Dreams and American Realities (Russell Sage Foundation Books)
Black Identities West Indian Immigrant Dreams and American Realities - Russell Sage Foundation Books Author:Mary C. Waters Winner of the American Political Science Association's Best Book of 1999 in Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Winner of the Cornell University Best Book in Inequality Award Winner of the Eastern Sociological Society Mirra Komarovsky Award The story of West Indian immigrants to the United States is considered a great success. Many of these adopt... more »ive citizens have prospered, including General Colin Powell. But Mary Waters tells a very different story about immigrants from the West Indies, especially their children. She finds that, ultimately, the values that gained these first-generation immigrants initial success—a willingness to work hard, a lack of attention to racism, a desire for education, an incentive to save—are undermined by the realities of life in the United States. Discrimination in housing channels them into neighborhoods with inadequate city services and high crime rates. Inferior public schools undermine their hopes for their children's future. In many families, the hard-won relative success of the parents is followed by the downward slide of their children. Contrary to long-held beliefs, Waters finds, those who resist Americanization are most likely to succeed economically, especially in the second generation. "Black Identities establishes a new landmark in the study of West Indian immigrant experiences in the United States. Mary C. Waters's perceptive and authoritative study challenges conventional views of the Americanization of West Indian immigrants. Also, her comprehensive coverage of their experiences and contacts with native Americans enriches our understanding of race relations in this country." —William Julius Wilson, author of When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor "Drawing from interviews with several generations of immigrants, Waters reports a wide range of discoveries . . . An excellent history and a multifaceted analysis of current immigration issues." —Deborah Bigelow, Library Journal Mary C. Waters is Professor of Sociology at Harvard University.« less