Global Impact & Community Essay Example for Free

Global Impact Community Essay Aside from being the most crowded city in the United States, the City of New York is considered the most heavily populated major city in North America. It is the country’s most culturally diverse region, as it holds people that speak 138 different languages drawn from more than 90 countries. The most recognized cultural minorities in the region are Native Americans/Alaska Natives, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and African-American. Settlement History From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants entered and dispersed all over the United States. Hispanic persons from South or Central American country, Mexico, Cuba, or Puerto Rico, comprised the large number of those immigrants. Throughout the 1990s, Hispanic origin comprised of almost 25 percent of the city’s population, and Hispanic school children of the city consisted of almost 35 percent (DeCamp). Hispanics are the largest minority in the city today, and the population continually grows through immigration and increase through birth. During the early 20th century, the lower eastside of Manhattan was mostly male communities that consisted of Asian immigrant workers who had originally moved out to California. â€Å"Since 1965, the Asian population has been growing steadily, and by 1990, Asians as a whole represented the second largest group of language minorities in New York City† (DeCamp). Conversely, some African-Americans are descendants from natives that were brought to the United States over two centuries ago, while others emigrated from Africa, South America and Caribbean in recent times. It was in 1994 that black residents began to arrive en masse supplied by the Great Migration. Most Famous Ethnic Place-Name, Communities and Districts Harlem is a region in the New York City that is long acknowledged as a major African-American business, cultural, and residential center. Until 1873, Harlem was a village independent of New York City. It has been characterized by boom-and- bust cycles, with considerable ethnic changes going with each cycle. Harlem extends from the East River west to the Hudson River flanked by 159th Street; where it convenes Washington Heights, to a border down the south. Chinatown is New Yorks major and most vibrant ethnic neighborhood which up to now is still rapidly growing. Streets have teemed with hundreds of Chinese restaurants, gift shops and grocery stores. New Yorks Chinatown is the leading Chinatown in the United States and is the cultural, historical, economical, and political center of the Chinese community in the region. It is western hemisphere’s largest site of Chinese concentration. Distinctive Local Food New York City is a blend of nationalities and cultures, and the cuisines served by its thousands of restaurants are a sign of that diversity. Some of the famous restaurants in New York City that offer distinctive local food to ethnic minorities are 2nd Avenue Delicatessen, Inc. , Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant, Aesthetic Alternatives, Bistro Monk, Charley Os, Ding Ho Laundry, Dragon Gems Inc. , and El Rey Delos Caridad Restaurant. In addition, there are hundreds of restaurants located in Chinatown where traditional and authentic Chinese cuisines are served. The styles of Chinese food most recognizable in the region are Hunan, Shanghai, Szechwan, and Cantonese. Contemporary Cultural Influences 1. Currently, dozens of television and radio newscasters are providing their services to several ethnic communities in New York City. Radio and television stations, as well as their respective broadcasters, believe that they are not merely the pipelines of entertainment, information, and news, as they perceive themselves as political and cultural lifeline to the general population from faraway places. These broadcasting networks believe that they are mediums that provide opportunity to all ethnic backgrounds to talk about their distinctive heritage and culture. 2. Because of New York City’s growing ethnic populations over the past decades, members of minority groups have been provided with additional apartments from the City’s private housing projects. More than 86 apartment expansions were built in the city with the goal set to 20 percent minority occupancy (Blair). However, the goal set is not intended as the ceiling to exclude or limit minorities. 3. With New York City’s varied and rich culture, it has long sustained visible and successful minority businesses. Minority entrepreneurs famed themselves to a handful of expected industries such as: Latino-owned bodegas; Korean greengroceries; or Chinese garment factories and restaurants. Years ago, the economic census of minority firms of the federal government counted to just 4,500 Asian, Latino, and Black businesses in New York City, providing work for roughly 18,000 people, or approximately 9 percent of 1997’s total. â€Å"Added to that were another 36,000 self-employed minorities† (Malanga). Since that time, a transformation has occurred in the small-business community of New York City. Gathering together their extensive knowledge as executives in the corporate world, the city’s Asian, Latino, and Black entrepreneurs not only maintained their numerous well-known traditional minority industries but also ascended away from them by opening publishing ventures, design and graphic shops, consulting firms, and ad agencies. Conclusion New York City’s status as one of the most vibrant cultural regions of the United States is shaped by centuries of immigration; nevertheless, the number of foreign born New Yorkers is still expected to increase over the next decade. Asian, Latino, and Black will be numerically elevated to ever growing proportions of the city’s population, and it is not unlikely that in the near future, more than half the city’s inhabitants will have been born outside the United States. Accordingly, attributable to the diverse cultures’ influence, ethnic communities, business, etc. are also expected to flourish. Works Cited Blair, William. 3 May 1984. â€Å"Accord in Minority Suit Provides for More Subsidized Apartments. † The New York Times. 30 April 2009 http://www. nytimes. com/1984/05/03/nyregion/accord-in-minority-suit-provides-for-more-subsidized-apartments. html? n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FM%2FMinorities%20(US). DeCamp, Suzanne. The Linguistic Minorities of New York City. New York: Office of Information, Community Service Society of New York, 1991. Malanga, Steven. 2002. â€Å"Minority Business Triumphs in Gotham. † City Journal. 30 April 2009 http://www. city-journal. org/html/12_2_minority_business. html.