minorities in America

Minorities in the United States are in different stages of any "advancement" and social sciences as the "umbrella" for countless job functions and institutions are indispensable to minority advancement in the United States. African Americans, Hispanics, Chinese, Indians, and Arabs are the key minorities in the country. They have attained different levels of status in the country. There are 5 areas where minorities can advance in the United States to represent themselves, communicate their priorities or interests to the majority population, and build their social sciences tools. Strategy Surgery & Consulting conducted fieldwork and poses several factors. They encompass managerial capital, cultural capital, and others.

A quick look a minorities in the United Stats, for example, reveals that the Indian diaspora is are clustered in technology, data science, medicine, and academia while the Indian diaspora is in finance and accounting. Many major firms, such as McKinsey, Boeing, Bain, and others are so eager to to hire Indians that they sponsor them for employment. Furthermore, the Arab diaspora is primarily the Lebanese and Egyptians, the former in the hospitality and restaurant sector while the latter in the applied sciences. This clustering has been a factor in these minorities not advancing in the American political or civic sphere, such as representation in Congress or politics, forming a lobby in the US, or advancement in the vital media sector.

"Advancement” in the United States depends on activity and numbers in several sectors, such as academia, media, politics, and social science research. For example, in spite of its significant size, the Arab diaspora has not been active in all aspects of American civil society, mostly in legal advocacy (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, ADC), improving Islamic - American relations in American society (the Muslim Public Affairs Council, MPAC), and interfaith dialogue (many non-profit organizations).

Without embracing the social sciences and utilizing them as tools, minorities would be incapable of advancing. Strategy Surgery introduces "new language" for minority advancement in the United States. The new language is the social sciences. Those disciplines have the theoretical and methodological tools to study and answer the challenges and complexities of empowerment, democracy, equality, and others.

Many minority groups can feel they are “victims” in the country, of media stereotyping, of economic exclusion, political disempowerment, and others. There are exceptions, of course. The Indians and Chinese communities have remarkably advanced in the country. Indians are now highly successful entrepreneurs, community leaders, and academics in elite universities. The key concepts for advancement "within" social sciences are:

Cultural Capital
Social Sciences and Polling
Fundraising and Entrepreneurship
Law and legal expertise
Media Expertise
Politics and Leadership
Starting an association or holding an annual convention

In the case of the Arab diaspora, which is nationalistically divided in the first place, in U.S. society, they are clustered in restaurants, medicine, engineering, and architecture depending on the nationality in question. Their limited immersion in social sciences had led to:

Therefore, one way to advance “within” the social sciences is to determine institutional and / or popular milestones. Any “gaps” in the social sciences can lead to gaps in advancement, as what has been the case in the Arab diaspora. An example is that minorities are frequently clustered in occupational clusters, depending on their home market. For example, the Arab diaspora is "disproportionately" concentrated in the natural and applied sciences (Science, Technology, Engineering, medicine, computer science, less so, business administration).

Therefore, the institutional and output milestone brand out to several sectors.

Research and Polling Centers

This is a key step, as there is no way of reaching Congress or other civil society bodies without having explored and solved problems. Research centers are major actors in civil and political society by the following:

The Zogby Research Services in the US is the only organization that does any research on the Arab diaspora and it published several ones in the 2000s about Arab opinions on issues in the Arab region directly, not the Arab diaspora in the U.S. Research centers also use history, statistics, political science, and other social sciences to analyze problems and propose solutions, all of which are the underpinnings of civic literacy. The Arab diaspora, for example, needs to conduct its own studies and communicate the findings to the public at large.

Building a Media Ecosystem

This means integrating in popular culture, not be on the fringes and remain confined to any theme or the political or controversial. American popular culture, especially cinema, inherited the Orientalist perception of Arabs and Muslims, for example. Building a media ecosystem is paramount to advancement and film and cinema are one application of social science. Other minority groups have succeeded to different degrees in assimilating into American society on the media front. Examples from the Latin American community are:

Examples from the African-American community are:

In the case of the Arab diaspora, the focus needs to be on integrating them with American popular culture. Some Arabs have also advanced in the media and film realm:

A social scientific approach would entail "framing" minorities in a new way. New media framing can show those humane feelings and voices. The common ground among them is building on similarity, not difference, and through other stories, not simply or even primarily news and journalism.

Academia

This is a huge component of civil society, where academics publish research, teach, and educate the public about important issues. Academia is a haven for free speech, progressive policy, research, and activism. Therefore, a critical component of civic literacy is to encourage learning to advance policy and shed light on pressing issues.

Philanthropy and Raising Funds

This is the “lifeblood” of diasporic mobility. The NAACP is a prime example of an organization that supports a major minority group and that achieved many feats. It conducts polling and researching to uncover its constituency’s priorities and needs, and see if its priorities and status change across American states. The largest Arab population is in Dearborn, Michigan, but it is likely to have different experiences from the other Arab communities.

In the U.S., lobbying, donations, elections, and fundraising are indispensable to the political process and system. Philanthropy and fundraising are not options-- they are indispensable. Also, the fundraising should be proactive and have a precise strategy-- not merely defensive or reactive. Philanthropy and fundraising, moreover, are necessary for building any fund for young adult education, scholarships, leadership training, and community centers. Philanthropy & fundraising are not only or even primarily for politics or pursuing any agenda, but also for building and supporting organizations and institutions for participation in civil society.

Youth Leadership & Training

Many leaders are born and many are trained. Many organizations in the U.S. have the resources only for training interns, not for long-term training for leadership, political careers, and other civil society activities. The most promising strategy is focusing on the youth of today to build the generation of tomorrow. This is simply or almost impossible without systematic focus on youth leadership and training. A related point is focusing on the domestic agenda as well, not only the international one. The U.S. political and civic system functions through lobbying, democratic process, and building civic blocs that can be influential.

Political Literacy and Training

This starts with the family and schooling and in a very early age, not simply when the person is in college. Young adults need role models for political action, experts, positive change, and democracy. Many Indian and Chinese communities in the US do not have such experts but have engineers, doctors, businessmen, and other specialties in the STEM fields. A related point is targeting Congress and other decision-making bodies, rather than be confined to charity work. This practically means being proactive and reaching D.C.

For more information or analyses, subscribe to the newsletter or contact us for a free consultation: info@strategysurgery.com