ASIATOWN
Cleveland's ASIATOWN neighborhood is located between East 30th and East 40th Streets, from St. Clair Avenue to Payne Avenue. It is in this neighborhood that the greatest density of Asian owned businesses and the Asian American population is located.
Restaurants, bakeries, groceries and boutiques that offer a wide selection of authentic Asian cuisine, fresh and frozen foods, canned, packaged and baked foods, and gifts are abundant in ASIATOWN.
Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in Northeast Ohio
The Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival seeks to promote an awareness of the Asian population and culture, as well as Asian owned and operated businesses in Northeast Ohio. The history, experience, social/cultural issues and needs that face AAPI's in Northeast Ohio is also important to note. The following information about the Asian American Pacific Islander population in Cuyahoga County was prepared by Asia Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA). For more information regarding AAPI, and programs/services offered, contact Michael Byun, Deputy Director at ASIA.
Between 1990 and 2003, the Asian American population of Cuyahoga County has generally been increasing, as reported by the U.S. Census. These numbers consist of 24 different ethnic Asian populations, but in 2003, only seven represented 80% of the AAPI population in the County. These populations included Asian-born persons of India (29%), West Asia (13%), China (11%), Japan (10%), Korea (7%), Lebanon (5%), and Vietnam (5%). Rates of naturalization have decreased dramatically within the last several decades; until 1989, 90% of foreign-born Asians entering Cuyahoga County became naturalized citizens compared to 15% between 1990 and 1999 and 0% in 2000 and later. Language remains a barrier to many; in 2003, 44% of households that spoke an Asian or Pacific Islander language were linguistically-isolated.
As compared to the county as a whole, Asians have a higher median age, lower household size, and higher median household income. Data collected from 2003 showed that the median age of Asian Americans was 38.5, whereas it was 33.8 for Cuyahoga County. The average household size was 2.19 vs. 2.36 for the county and median household income $53,705 vs. $38,204 for Asians and Cuyahoga County, respectively. 2003 poverty and housing data for Asians as compared to the County showed that fewer of them were below poverty level (5% vs. 15%) and that more Asian households were renter-occupied (61% vs. 38%). There were also lower percentages of Asians with less than a college education than the county (13% vs. 47%) and more who received graduate-level degrees (52% vs. 11%), as shown in 2003 data.
Data from the 2000 Census illustrates that more than two-thirds of Asians in the County resided in eight municipalities: Cleveland, Lakewood, Parma, Cleveland Heights, Westlake, Strongsville, Mayfield Heights, and North Olmsted. Of these municipalities, 24% of Asians resided in the City of Cleveland, which housed (in 2000) the largest concentrations of people from major Asian ethnic groups, including: India (12% of total 2000 Cuyahoga County AAPI population), China (39%, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), Philippines (30%), Vietnam (50%), Lebanon (23%), Korea (17%), and Israel (22%). These groups reside in primarily four Cleveland neighborhoods: Goodrich-Kirtland (15% of total 2000 Cuyahoga County AAPI population), University (14%), West Boulevard (8%), and Old Brooklyn (8%).
Research Findings - National Trends
A literature search of national trend data yielded information on employment rates and location, health care access and attitudes towards the American health care system, needs of Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) regarding mental health and education, and the needs of specific AAPI subgroups.
The term Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) includes more than 60 ethnic groups and sub-groups. Each represents its own variation of history, language, religion, socioeconomic status, and experience in the United States. The path of each group to the U.S. and then to assimilation and acculturation varies greatly. AAPI speak over 100 dialects and languages. One-third of AAPI are linguistically isolated, i.e., live in households where no one over the age of 14 speaks English. The percentages are much greater among specific ethnic groups such as the Hmong, Cambodians, and Laotians.
Asians have been an integral part of the nation since at least the 1800's when the Chinese ventured in large numbers to California as part of the Gold Rush. But immigration came to a halt in 1882 with the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Subsequently waves of Japanese, Filipinos, and other Asians migrated to the U.S., but each wave was met by anti-Asian hostility and restricted to menial jobs and separate living quarters. Large-scale immigration resumed after the elimination of racially biased immigration quotas in 1965.
AAPI have been "missing in history", invisible in classroom texts, and in the arts. The importance of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders as indigenous peoples and the fact that their territories were appropriated by the U.S. are little-noted. In many cases, AAPI continue to be viewed as "aliens" with questionable loyalty to the U.S. Asian Americans are stereotyped as a "model minority": passive, compliant, overachieving and without problems or needs. Contrary to this stereotype, U.S. Asians are actually bimodal in their socioeconomic status and demonstrate the same social, cultural, and economic vulnerability as other minority groups.
Through a combination of increases in immigration and naturalization, the AAPI population has grown to 11 million in 2000, from 1.5 million in 1997. It is expected to grow to 20 million by 2020. Many of the most disadvantaged AAPI live in inner city enclaves, sharing the common problems of African Americans and Latinos while still having unique characteristics. While entrepreneurialism is high among most AAPI communities, most Asian businesses are marginal and offer at best low-wage jobs.
An organizational survey of Community Based Organizations (CBO) found that the top problem among AAPI across the country is under-employment, which includes low wages, contingent employment and limited benefits. Many AAPI work part-time or intermittently and lack adequate benefits. The deficiency in nearby employment opportunities can also pose problems, especially when coupled with the lack of access to transportation or linguistic difficulties. Language barriers, lack of familiarity with the job market, and lack of child care are the most daunting barriers to employment.
The second most severe problem for AAPI is lack of access to quality healthcare, which is related to a lack of employer-provided health insurance and to a paucity of linguistically and culturally competent health care providers.
Financial restrictions on heath care access were cited, as data shows the need for comprehensive health insurance for the national AAPI population. This problem could be exacerbated by, or due to, low incomes and increasing poverty. Additionally, members of the community do not seek needed care for fear of losing a portion of their wages. The limited number of bilingual or bicultural providers poses several challenges, including inadequate health care provision due to the lack of a shared language and the heightening of possible mistrust in western medicine. Inadequacies in interpretation of medical terms and procedures can exacerbate this condition.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of importance placed on preventive efforts, as AAPI tend to seek care only when they consider their conditions as serious. Knowledge about subsidized health care is limited, while many experience problems due to Medicaid eligibility.
Because of the fear of disclosure, undocumented immigrants have used underground, illegal clinics. Even documented immigrants fear threats to their residency status, application of citizenship, or the ability to later sponsor their relatives in the U.S., which discourages them from accessing health care, as they avoid having anything on record. There is a higher percentage for AAPI communities, as compared to other ethnic communities, with little or no prenatal care. This especially refers to South Asians and Koreans.