November 2012 Research Report #116 Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Gulf of Mexico Region Introduction tradition of Mardi Gras, ethnic food region, a group that became promi- As part of a larger project that ways, commitment to Catholicism nent in the United States during the examines demographic and com- and culture of revelry. Vietnam War. munity-level changes in the Gulf of These eight groups emerged as Prior to the fall of Saigon in 1975, Mexico region, we reviewed litera- significant through the existing lit- few Vietnamese immigrants lived ture for eight key racial and ethnic erature that details their unique in- in the United States. Since that groups with significant influence in fluence in building the culture, eco- time, there has been a rise in Viet- part, or all, of the region. The Gulf nomic stability and political climate namese immigration to the United of MexicoVietnamese region is incredibly di- in the region, as well as their ties to States as war refugees and increas- verse – with more than 13.5 million the oil and gas industry operating in ing numbers of Vietnamese settling residents who trace their origins to the Gulf of Mexico. For each group, in ethnic communities across the scores of places in Europe, Africa, we have focused our review on com- country. Vietnamese immigrants Asia and Latin America (see Table 1). mon elements such as the culture, have had unique social, cultural Of these various groups, we history, immigration, ties to the and economic effects on the states focused our reviews on eight specific oil and gas industry and economic in which they reside (see Figure 1 racial, ethnic and ancestry groups: standing. In addition to those com- next page). Their histories of war, African-Americans, Cajuns, Creoles, mon elements, we examined other displacement and reestablishment Croatians, Latinos, Native Ameri- prominent themes that emerged have created distinct experiences for cans, Vietnamese and other Asians for particular groups. For instance, the Vietnamese. Because of shared (not Vietnamese). Although some the effects of Hurricane Katrina French influence, the prevalence of of these groups may be small in on the Vietnamese fishermen living Catholicism and similar subtropical number, their effects on the region in southern Louisiana was widely climates, many Vietnamese immi- have been substantial (see Table 2). discussed by scholars and thus be- grants have settled along the Gulf For example, although only about came a prominent discussion in our of Mexico and have had cultural, 7.8 percent of the residents in the review of the literature on Vietnam- political, economic and social effects region identify as Cajun/French, this ese living in the region. Below you on the southern United States as group has had significant influence will find the second in a series of Vietnamese immigrants merge their in shaping the cultural and econom- reviews. This review discusses the ethnic identity with being “south- ic climate of the region through the experiences of Vietnamese in the ern” (see map next page). Table 1. Diversity in the Gulf of Mexico Region Table 2. Groups of Interest in the Gulf of Mexico Region Racial/Ancestry Group Percentage Number Ancestry Category Percentage Number of Total of Total Population Population African-American 19.14 2,568,703 British 15.36 2,147,789 Cajun 7.81 1,092,377 French 7.81 1,092,377 Croatian .05 6,422 German 8.71 1,218,236 Latino 29.72 3,988,491 Middle Eastern .49 68,544 Native American .64 85,455 Northern/Eastern European 5.24 733,424 Other Asian 2.95 396,007 Southern European 3.09 432,724 Vietnamese 1.15 154,669 Subsaharan African/West Indian 1.22 170,670 White 63.72 8,912,239 Total Population: 13,985,914 Table 1 Data from ACS Five-Year Estimates. Table 2 Data from ACS Five-Year Estimates and 2010 U.S. Decennial Census. Numbers do not add to 100 percent because individuals can indicate more than one race, ethnicity or ancestry group. “Other Asian” refers to Asian groups other than Vietnamese. 1 LSU AgCenter Research Report #116 Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Gulf of Mexico Region: Vietnamese Figure 1. Data from United States Decennial Census. (Vietnamese population in millions in State of the World’s Refugees: 50 parentheses). Years of Humanitarian Action.” In this book, the experiences of many war refugees are detailed, including Vietnamese refugees. Vietnam is unique in that, as a country, it expe- rienced almost 30 years of continu- ous war and repeated displacement from 1945 to 1975.With the French defeat in 1954, a communist state was formed in northern Vietnam and a separate state was established in southern Vietnam. Many Viet- namese living in the north at that time moved south to escape commu- nist rule. In 1960, when the United States sent in more than 500,000 an- ticommunist troops, more displace- ment happened. By the late 1960s, Origins and History primarily through Vietnam War more than half of South Vietnam’s government resettlement pro- Although other Asian groups such 20 million people had been internal- grams (Airriess and Clawson 1994, as Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, ly displaced. In 1975, with the fall Bankston III and Zhou 1996, UN Japanese and Laotian people ar- of Saigon, some 140,000 Vietnam- 2000). rived in the United States through a ese who were closely affiliated with variety of means, most Vietnamese Since many of the Vietnamese the South Vietnamese government immigrants are refugees from the immigrants are war refugees who were evacuated and resettled in the Vietnam War. In fact, prior to the left Vietnam because they had United States. Other refugees went Vietnam War, few Vietnamese im- few alternatives, it is important to Thailand (5,000 refugees), Hong migrants lived in the United States to consider a brief history of their Kong (4,000 refugees), Singapore (Bankston III and Zhou 1996, Tang experiences prior to arriving in the (1,800 refugees) and the Philippines 2011). Since 1975, however, over 1 United States. The United Nations (1,250 refugees) (UN 2000). In 1979, million Vietnamese refugees have High Commissioner for Refugees war continued as Chinese forces immigrated to the United States, released a book in 2000 titled “The attacked Vietnam border regions, creating a new wave of refugees. Vietnamese in the Gulf of Mexico Region Mississippi Alabama Louisiana !( Florida !(!( !( !( !( !(!( !(!(!( !( !(!( !( !(!(!( !(!( !( !( !(!( !(!( !(!(!( !(!( !( !( !( Texas !( !( !(!(!( !( !( Legend Census Tracts Either 5%+ or 500+ Vietnamese 10 Census Designated Places in Each State with Highest % Vietnamese !( Interstate Highways Lakes ² Data from 2010 Decennial Census. Counties selected from Fannin et al. 2011 2 LSU AgCenter Research Report #116 Racial and Ethnic Groups in the Gulf of Mexico Region: Vietnamese By 1982, more than 20 countries only to British immigrants (Elliot into the Versailles Arms Apartments – led by the United States, Austra- and Ionescu 2003). In fact, this is a (Tang 2011). Most of the New Or- lia, France and Canada – resettled larger percentage of Asian foreign- leans Vietnamese residents are refu- about 624,000 Indochinese refugees born residents than any other region gees of Vietnam who arrived in the (UN 2000). More of this process of of the country, including the West, United States during the Vietnam immigration will be described in the where the Asian population makes War and were poor rural farmers next section titled “Migration.” At up only 30.4 percent of foreign- prior to their immigration (Airriess any rate, however, displacement is a born residents (Elliot and Ionescu and Clawson 1994). Many of the im- common element in the Vietnamese 2003). In some areas, such as New migrants that settled in Versailles in history. Orleans, La., Vietnamese immi- the mid-1970s never moved on. New grants are the largest Asian ethnic Orleans East is the only home other Upon arrival in the United States, group – making up 69 percent of than Vietnam that they’ve ever Vietnamese immigrants typically the entire Asian population in New known (Tang 2011). went to one of four refugee camps Orleans (Bankston III and Zhou on military bases. When the govern- 1996). Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Although Vietnamese immigrants ment came to understand that the approximately 12,000 Vietnamese primarily came to the United States immigrants would be settling here immigrants lived in the New Orleans as war refugees, most have settled permanently, private organizations area (Airriess and Clawson 1994). here permanently. Although refu- were tasked with dispersing Viet- Versailles, a particular neighbor- gees were strategically scattered namese immigrants across the Unit- hood in New Orleans, housed more initially throughout all 50 states ed States. With time, however, many than 5,000 of these immigrants, by resettlement programs, they of the Vietnamese immigrants making it the largest concentration quickly concentrated themselves in resettled in a small number of eth- of Vietnamese immigrants in the a few primary locations. As a result nic communities. Several of these United States (Airriess and Clawson of regrouping, New Orleans has enclaves emerged in the southeast- 1994, Tang 2011). become the most important destina- ern United States due to the strong tion for Vietnamese immigrants and presence of Catholicism, shared Versailles is a neighborhood in continues to be home to the high- French influence and environmen- New Orleans East that stretches as est concentration of Vietnamese tal elements that were similar to far as 20 miles east of downtown immigrants in the country. Other Vietnam (Elliot and Ionescu 2003, and is situated on its eastern-most southern states, such as Alabama see Figure 2). Using 1990 census edge, along a waterway known as and Mississippi also have seen large data, Elliot and Ionescu have shown Chef Menteur Pass.