Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History
Today, South Asians are a rapidly growing demographic in the United States, comprising nearly 2 percent of the population. But there was a time in the not-too-distant past when the United States was far less hospitable to South Asian immigrants. In fact, until 1952, only white immigrants could become naturalized American citizens. Yet in the first half of the twentieth century, many states still had thriving communities of South Asians. 
 
In Here to Stay, Geetika Rudra, a second-generation Indian immigrant and American history buff, takes readers on a journey across the country to unearth the little-known histories of earlier generations of South Asian Americans. She visits storied sites such as Oregon’s “Hindoo Alley,” home to many lumber workers at the turn of the century, and Angel Island, California’s immigration hub. She also introduces readers to such inspiring figures as Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant who had enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his adopted country in World War I, but who was later denied citizenship and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In turns both serious and joyful, this book vividly reveals how South Asians have always been a vital part of the American tapestry.
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Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History
Today, South Asians are a rapidly growing demographic in the United States, comprising nearly 2 percent of the population. But there was a time in the not-too-distant past when the United States was far less hospitable to South Asian immigrants. In fact, until 1952, only white immigrants could become naturalized American citizens. Yet in the first half of the twentieth century, many states still had thriving communities of South Asians. 
 
In Here to Stay, Geetika Rudra, a second-generation Indian immigrant and American history buff, takes readers on a journey across the country to unearth the little-known histories of earlier generations of South Asian Americans. She visits storied sites such as Oregon’s “Hindoo Alley,” home to many lumber workers at the turn of the century, and Angel Island, California’s immigration hub. She also introduces readers to such inspiring figures as Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant who had enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his adopted country in World War I, but who was later denied citizenship and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In turns both serious and joyful, this book vividly reveals how South Asians have always been a vital part of the American tapestry.
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Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History

Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History

by Geetika Rudra
Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History

Here to Stay: Uncovering South Asian American History

by Geetika Rudra

Hardcover

$30.95 
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Overview

Today, South Asians are a rapidly growing demographic in the United States, comprising nearly 2 percent of the population. But there was a time in the not-too-distant past when the United States was far less hospitable to South Asian immigrants. In fact, until 1952, only white immigrants could become naturalized American citizens. Yet in the first half of the twentieth century, many states still had thriving communities of South Asians. 
 
In Here to Stay, Geetika Rudra, a second-generation Indian immigrant and American history buff, takes readers on a journey across the country to unearth the little-known histories of earlier generations of South Asian Americans. She visits storied sites such as Oregon’s “Hindoo Alley,” home to many lumber workers at the turn of the century, and Angel Island, California’s immigration hub. She also introduces readers to such inspiring figures as Bhagat Singh Thind, an immigrant who had enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his adopted country in World War I, but who was later denied citizenship and took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In turns both serious and joyful, this book vividly reveals how South Asians have always been a vital part of the American tapestry.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780813584034
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Publication date: 03/31/2022
Pages: 214
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range: 16 - 18 Years

About the Author

GEETIKA RUDRA is an amateur history buff with a deep love of American history. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants from Queens, New York, and she lives in Manhattan with her book collection. Find her on Instagram or Twitter at @GGGeetika.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Who Gets to Be American? 11

2 Mozumdar Crosses the Pacific 26

3 The American Dream 39

4 Where Are You From? 55

5 Defining Whiteness 63

6 The Difference between Daylight and Darkness 78

7 The Dilemma 88

8 Return to Hindoo Alley 95

9 Freedom Fighters 116

10 Citizenship on Trial 128

11 The Aftermath 143

12 The Path to Acceptance 153

13 War 164

14 Resolution 175

Note on Research 189

Acknowledgments 191

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