Polish Ethnicity & Discrimination
Running Head: POLISH ETHNICITY AND DISCRIMINATION
Polish Ethnicity and Discrimination
Bobbie Walker
Axia College at University of Phoenix
Polish Ethnicity and Discrimination
I was born to parents who come from an extensively varied ethnic background, most of which consists of European descent. However, my parents have a large amount of Polish background coming from both of their sides of the family. Nearly all that I recall comes from many stories and conversations that were shared by grandparents on my mother’s side of the family. I never grew bored hearing what they had to say, nor did my heart ever cease to break when I heard of much of their struggles as a young married couple who met after immigrating to the United States, prior to the Second World War.
Immigrating from Poland
My maternal great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland somewhere around 1930 which was years after “Poland had already become independent after the First World War (Reisner, 2008).” My grandfather, Joseph, was 12 years old and remembered being on a boat that was very “crowded, hot, and stinky,” although he does not remember getting to view the entrance to Ellis Island as it was heaving with people who were being hurried about and jostled everywhere. My grandmother was about 10 at the time. She could not recall what year she and her family immigrated, although it was in the early 1930’s.
Both grandma and grandpas families came over to America for economical reasons. The country had already obtained their independence and had been able to attend a Roman Catholic Church in the town they lived in. They were poor vegetable farmers and wanted to make a living in a growing country where they thought their services would be welcomed. When they arrived in Hamtramck, Michigan, they did not experience segregation in the sense that they were forced to do so, rather they themselves chose to set up housekeeping in an area where there was a Roman Catholic
Polish Ethnicity and Discrimination
Bobbie Walker
Axia College at University of Phoenix
Polish Ethnicity and Discrimination
I was born to parents who come from an extensively varied ethnic background, most of which consists of European descent. However, my parents have a large amount of Polish background coming from both of their sides of the family. Nearly all that I recall comes from many stories and conversations that were shared by grandparents on my mother’s side of the family. I never grew bored hearing what they had to say, nor did my heart ever cease to break when I heard of much of their struggles as a young married couple who met after immigrating to the United States, prior to the Second World War.
Immigrating from Poland
My maternal great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland somewhere around 1930 which was years after “Poland had already become independent after the First World War (Reisner, 2008).” My grandfather, Joseph, was 12 years old and remembered being on a boat that was very “crowded, hot, and stinky,” although he does not remember getting to view the entrance to Ellis Island as it was heaving with people who were being hurried about and jostled everywhere. My grandmother was about 10 at the time. She could not recall what year she and her family immigrated, although it was in the early 1930’s.
Both grandma and grandpas families came over to America for economical reasons. The country had already obtained their independence and had been able to attend a Roman Catholic Church in the town they lived in. They were poor vegetable farmers and wanted to make a living in a growing country where they thought their services would be welcomed. When they arrived in Hamtramck, Michigan, they did not experience segregation in the sense that they were forced to do so, rather they themselves chose to set up housekeeping in an area where there was a Roman Catholic
References: Dziennik, N. (2007, January 29). Polish Immigrants Leave America for Europe. Retrieved October 4, 2008, from http://www.polishforums.com/polish_immigrants_leave_america-4_5606_0.html. Reisner, L., Davis, S., & Miara, L. (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2008, from http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us//cur/kane98/kane_p3_immig/Poland/Polish.html#Intro. Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.