Ethnic Minorities' problems in the USA and Russia

Nevskaya Elizaveta; 23 April 2014

Ethnic Minorities' problems in the USA and Russia

Nowadays almost every country has its own groups of ethnic minorities, and in each country. It is commonly known that these groups of people face a vast amount of problems. In this work I would like to describe and compare what difficulties they have to live with in the USA and in Russia.

What are ethnic minorities in Russia and the USA?

According to the general census of population held in 2010, there are approximately 193 ethnic groups living in Russia. The most numerous group are Tatars, who form 3,72% of the whole population; other numerous minorities are Ukrainian (1,35 %), Bashkirs (1,11%), Chuvashs (1,01%), Chechens (1%) and Armenians (0,83%). The less numerous are Yugh people (1 person), Urums (1 person), Mennonites (4 people), Kereks (4 people) and Bagvalal people (5 people). It should be noticed that from 2002 to 2010 many groups lessened in their number: Astrakhan Tatars (-1996 people, - 99.65%), Lugovo-Eastern Mari people (-55901 people, -99.61%), Urums (-53 people, - 98.15%), Yugh people (-18 people, -94.74%), etc., but many ethnic groups multiplied: Botlikh people (+3492 people, +21825%), Kurmanji people (+41 people, + 4100%), Tindi people (+591 people, +1343.18%), Godoberi people (+388 people, +994.87%), etc. However, the precise number of ethnic groups is unknown due to the fact that there are people who do not state their nationality. Because of the great amount of the groups it is difficult to name the regions where they tend to live.

While in Russia ethnic minority is considered the same as national minority and consists of a great number of small groups, the USA has much less recognized ethnic minority categories: Hispanics (15%), Black Americans (40.7 mln., 14%), Asians (5%) and Native Americans (1.6%). Hispanics and Asians are likely to live in the West, Blacks tend to live in the South, Midwest and Mountain states, and Native Americans are likely to be found in California, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Alaska.

Official documents

There is no definition of ethnic minority in international documents and laws in Russia, although it is mentioned in the Constitution of Russia (1993): ‘The jurisdiction of the Russian Federation includes: <…> regulation and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen; citizenship in the Russian Federation, regulation and protection of the rights of national minorities;’ & ‘The joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and the subjects of the Russian Federation includes: <…> protection of traditional living habitat and of traditional way of life of small ethnic communities;’

In the United States of America all ethnic minorities are provided with the same rights as all US citizens which are written in the Constitution of the USA and Civil Rights Act, although one of the minorities has a unique status. In 1975 the Congress passed Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act which actually recognize them as independent political units. Nowadays the American government and Indians interact on intergovernmental level through two federal agencies: the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

Discrimination

Article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965) defines "racial discrimination" as

‘...any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.’

In Russia inadmissibility of discrimination is prescribed in Article 19: ‘<…> The state shall guarantee the equality of rights and liberties regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property or employment status, residence, attitude to religion, convictions, membership of public associations or any other circumstance. Any restrictions of the rights of citizens on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be forbidden.’ However, there are ethnic groups who become victims of constant and regular discrimination conducted or provoked by bodies of power. The most known problem is racism which occurs in work of law-enforcement agencies, i.e. frequent checks, arrest of people who differ from Russians in their appearance and rude and degrading treatment of them.

In the USA discrimination is also prohibited by law; 15th amendment to the Constitution prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude: ‘Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’ In spite of this, most hate crimes (48.5%) target victims on the basis of ethnicity or race. 66.2% of victims were Black, 4.4% were in a group of individuals in which more than one race was represented, 4.1% were Asian/Pacific Islanders and 33.% were American Indian/Alaskan Natives.

Alcoholism

Peoples of North in Russian Federation suffer from alcohol a lot; the whole villages die out because of alcoholism. The problem is connected with alcohol dehydrogenase. This ferment is situated in liver but the amount of it is differs from person to person. Peoples of North almost do not have it so that, getting into blood, alcohol does not decompose into components and moves in an organism influencing all organs and systems destroying them. In 2002 the government limited the amount of alcohol sold in the regions where peoples of North live and more measures are expected in the future.

Ethnic minorities in the United States also have problems with alcohol consumption. Among all groups, Native Americans are mostly under the risk for alcohol use disorders while Blacks and Hispanics can become more dependent on alcohol. Asian Americans constitute the lowest part of drinkers, only 38%. The difference between the amounts of alcohol consumed by minorities is also connected with above-named enzyme which is inherent for Asian Americans. Among all age and ethnic groups, men are more likely to drink than are women, and to consume large quantities in at once.

Unemployment

Unemployment is another problem ethnic minorities in both Russia and the United States of America face. According to the research conducted in 2002, the highest unemployment rates in Russia are found in Ingushetia (47.68%), Chechnya (29.81%), Tuva (18.38%), Kalmykia (13.11%) and Dagestan (11.68%). Nevertheless, government takes steps to solve this problem. In that year the local government offered Ingushs to move to other regions where there is a lack of human resources. However, plenipotentiary president in North-Caucasian federal district proposed building universities and vocational schools in the region to train specialists who would work all over Russia. In 2011 a stress on development of small scale business was set to overcome unemployment in Chechnya. Most people decided to either buy a second-hand car and become taxi drivers or purchase some cattle and become farmers.

In accordance with statistics, Native Americans are the most unemployed (25%) ethnic minority in the USA but Asians and Blacks are unemployed for longer stretches of time than other ethnic groups, and are more likely to be among the long-term unemployed. Hispanics have unemployment rate 7.9%. Incomes of Native Americans are usually low, and the poverty prevails in reservations. Although the unemployment rate is high, Indian tribes have become more economically independent in recent years. On the one hand, it is Native American gaming that helps people earn money; on the other hand, some tribes incorporate industries in their economy. For instance, they built resort complexes, develop cultural and entertainment centers, produce clothes and adornments which have their culture’s ornaments. Though Blacks’ unemployment rate is also high, they work in very diverse spheres. Most of African-Americans are employees of the federal, state, or local government. Hispanics are as well presented in many fields; they work in service occupations, in sales, in natural resources, maintenance, transportation, etc. Furthermore, the majority of Asians are educated, wealth and value works. They occupy positions in science, engineering, medicine and finance.

Endangered languages

Russia is an enormous country with a great number of nationalities living in it. Although almost all of them speak Russian language, many ethnic groups still have their own native languages. ‘Still’ is used as many of these rare languages are on the verge of extinction. The loss of native languages leads to the destruction of communities and cultures. According to UNESCO research (2010), there are 116 IAE endangered languages. The languages at most risk are Eastern Mansi (Konda Mansi), which is nearly extinct, Aleut with 5 speakers, Central Selkup (Narym Selkup) with 5 speakers, Southern Selkup (Ob Selkup) with 5 speakers and Copper Island Aleut (“Mednyy Aleut”) with 10 speakers. People and local officials try to prevent extinction of their mother tongues: they teach it at local schools, inspire people to speak these languages, organize different events devoted to preservation of their cultures, traditions and languages. Native languages of ethnic minorities are also protected by the law about peoples’ languages in Russian Federation. There it is written that Russian government favors the development and preservation of ethnic languages, bilingualism and multilingualism on the whole territory of Russian Federation.

The USA is the 4^th largest country in the world and as well has groups of people whose native language is endangered. In accordance with the same UNESCO research, in the United States there are 137 languages at risk. For instance, Aleut (Unangany; 150 speakers), Central Sierra Miwok (3 speakers), Chemehuevi (Ute-Chemehuevi; 3 speakers), Chinook Jargon (Chinuk Wawa; a few speakers), Coeur d'Alene (4 speakers) languages, etc. are critically endangered. Mostly Native Americans’ languages are under the threat of extinction as the number of native bearers, i.e. people in tribes, is very small. Personally, I believe that the most known official document about preservation of languages in the USA is Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act signed by President George W. Bush in December 2006. It is named for Esther Martinez who was a linguist, a Tewa storyteller and worked to protect her mother tongue. This document was written to help keep Native American languages alive launching some immersion programs where these endangered languages are used. For example, the University of Utah has its own program called Shoshoni Language Project. It is framed to preserve cultural and linguistic heritage of Shoshoni people.

Ethnic organizations

Both in Russia and the USA there are many ethnic organizations which help to teach and preserve ethnic cultures, traditions and languages. Let me make some examples.

As for Russia, there is Moscow House of Nationalities which is the center of ethnic-cultural development of Muscovites establishing conditions for gratification of national-cultural inquires. They give lectures, publish books and articles, and set up conferences and round work tables dedicated to problems of ethnic minorities. Moreover, they organize art exhibits, art projects, competitions, festivals fairs and auctions, produce videos and films. Furthermore, in Saint-Petersburg an organization called Saint-Petersburg Chuvash national-cultural center Sespel Mishi was set up in 1994. It as well provides lectures, support local history studies connected with the history of Chuvash people, and organize performances of folk ensemble Narsbi. One more example is Tatarlar in Surgut. This association has its own Tatar school, helps with arrangement of Tatar stars tours, publishes newspaper has its own ensemble Sandugach and organizes many events.

In the USA National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) should be noticed. They struggle to support economic, social, educational and political quality of life of all American citizens and eliminate racism. This association funds Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics program that helps African American high school students to achieve high academic and cultural goals. As for Asian-Americans, they have the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans which is a coalition of several national organizations in the United States. It deals with civil rights, education, health, housing and economic justice, and immigration. Hispanics have their own organizations. For instance, American Society of Hispanic Economists which helps this particular ethnic minority group to get trained in, work and get promoted in an economic sphere. With regard to Russians, there is Russian American Medical Association which, how we can see from the title, supports Russian medics in the USA by launching special projects and cooperation with hospitals in US and overseas.

Conclusion

In this work different aspects of ethnic minorities’ lives in Russia and the USA were compared. As a result, it seems that US ethnic groups fight for their rights and interests more than Russian ones. It seems fair to suppose that this statement takes roots in official documents as in Russian laws it is possible to find mostly general, not definite, information about their rights and who they are.

What is more, both of the countries consider racism and discrimination as illegal but, nevertheless, hate crimes and conflicts based on racial difference occur almost every day. I would argue that government should establish some special lessons for schoolchildren to impart tolerance from school years. I believe that nowadays it is highly important as 21 century is global; with the help of modern hi-tech devices and the ability to communicate through the Internet today people deal with representatives of a great number of nationalities and everyone should know that you cannot judge a man by his race as well as, vice versa, judge a race by one particular person.

One cannot deny that some ethnic minorities have problems with alcoholism. To my mind, Russian and American governments should prevent this by even more limiting the delivery of alcohol to the regions with the highest rate of death caused by spirits or raising the prices on alcoholic production.

It is clear from observations described above that Russian ethnic minorities have bigger problems with unemployment than American. I am convinced that local governments of problem regions ought to think of the ways to establish more workplaces, maybe in accordance with region’s needs or with cultural traditions.

It would be unfair not to mention the fact that ethnic minorities in both countries contribute to the preservation and maintenance of their native languages and cultural traditions to a great extent. They cooperate and do their best at raising their children not just in Russia but in a community with a rich historical and cultural background.

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