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Who Belongs In America? Who Belongs In America?
(about 20 hours later)
[Race affects our lives in countless ways. To read more provocative stories on race from The Times, sign up here for our weekly Race/Related newsletter.][Race affects our lives in countless ways. To read more provocative stories on race from The Times, sign up here for our weekly Race/Related newsletter.]
The last few weeks have been hard on many Asian-Americans. Blamed for the coronavirus, they have been attacked, spit on, told they don’t belong.The last few weeks have been hard on many Asian-Americans. Blamed for the coronavirus, they have been attacked, spit on, told they don’t belong.
These stories have been difficult to read, but they are also not new — something I learned while researching my new book, “One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965.” And the subject feels more urgent now than when I started writing about it four years ago.These stories have been difficult to read, but they are also not new — something I learned while researching my new book, “One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965.” And the subject feels more urgent now than when I started writing about it four years ago.
For most of my life, the story of how my Chinese family became American seemed straightforward enough: My parents came to the United States for their education in the late 1960s and early 1970s, stayed to build their careers and then started a family in Northern Virginia.For most of my life, the story of how my Chinese family became American seemed straightforward enough: My parents came to the United States for their education in the late 1960s and early 1970s, stayed to build their careers and then started a family in Northern Virginia.
Led to believe this country had always welcomed immigrants, I could not envision a different America in which my family had been turned away. There was no point in pondering alternatives — a great blessing had been granted, and our central task was to fit in. Or so I thought.Led to believe this country had always welcomed immigrants, I could not envision a different America in which my family had been turned away. There was no point in pondering alternatives — a great blessing had been granted, and our central task was to fit in. Or so I thought.
Then, in early 2016 during a trip to the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, I learned about the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, described at the museum as the reason there were so many Asian-Americans in this country. I wondered: Could my family be among the many beneficiaries of this law?Then, in early 2016 during a trip to the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, I learned about the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, described at the museum as the reason there were so many Asian-Americans in this country. I wondered: Could my family be among the many beneficiaries of this law?
They were, and for the next four years I tried to understand the law’s origins — a project that turned into my book.They were, and for the next four years I tried to understand the law’s origins — a project that turned into my book.
Through my research, I discovered that those who fought for the Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned immigration quotas, were encouraging us to rethink the very idea of what makes a person American.Through my research, I discovered that those who fought for the Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned immigration quotas, were encouraging us to rethink the very idea of what makes a person American.
For most of this country’s history, being an American was firmly tied to European ancestry. But the Immigration and Nationality Act obliterated that notion, daring to outline a vision of belonging that transcended race and ethnic origin, in effect saying to the world that everyone had access to the American project.For most of this country’s history, being an American was firmly tied to European ancestry. But the Immigration and Nationality Act obliterated that notion, daring to outline a vision of belonging that transcended race and ethnic origin, in effect saying to the world that everyone had access to the American project.
Those who fought for the law sincerely wanted racial equality in U.S. immigration law. But they did not expect their efforts to give rise to the largest influx of non-European immigrants in this country’s history, putting white Americans on track to lose their majority status within decades.Those who fought for the law sincerely wanted racial equality in U.S. immigration law. But they did not expect their efforts to give rise to the largest influx of non-European immigrants in this country’s history, putting white Americans on track to lose their majority status within decades.
Updated June 30, 2020
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
I have been thinking about this history even more with the recent rise of racist attacks against Asian-Americans. For many, the harassment has been a stunning reminder that, regardless of how long you have been in this country or whether you were born here, your face can still mark you as foreign.I have been thinking about this history even more with the recent rise of racist attacks against Asian-Americans. For many, the harassment has been a stunning reminder that, regardless of how long you have been in this country or whether you were born here, your face can still mark you as foreign.
This tells me that while my family has the status of being legal, our political standing remains tenuous, and that the fight over American identity remains unsettled. After all, the same country that passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, barring Chinese laborers, also passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, giving my family and so many others a chance to be part of this country.This tells me that while my family has the status of being legal, our political standing remains tenuous, and that the fight over American identity remains unsettled. After all, the same country that passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, barring Chinese laborers, also passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, giving my family and so many others a chance to be part of this country.
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