by Sarah Behjet March 25, 2024 @ 12:01 am. CT Mirror
Dong-Ping Wong, the owner of Food New York, said that in Chinatown he can “not feel foreign” and that he could “disappear.” Similarly, filmmaker Connor Sen Warnick said that he felt included in Chinatown because “in other spaces, I was always reminded that I was Asian and overlooked or misunderstood.”
Feelings that mirror those of Wong’s and Warnick’s are widely shared. America’s ethnic enclaves, communities with ethnic and cultural distinctions situated within larger areas, are havens that uplift and empower their members.
Little Arabia, the name for Anaheim, California’s Arab enclave, is home to various Arab businesses, providing both a safe space for Arabs and a place where Arab specialty goods can be purchased by the community at large. In my own community, items such as kebabs, kubba, and labneh yogurt are readily found in Arab markets in New Britain, providing a means through which authentic Middle Eastern recipes can endure outside of their countries of origin.
Many other ethnic groups attest to the convenience of ethnic enclaves, and with this convenience, inclusion thrives. However, certain colloquial ethnic enclaves are not always formally recognized by local governments.
In Anaheim, Little Arabia was not technically accepted by the local government until 2022, which propelled local businesses to advocate for change. Many wished for a formal acknowledgment of Little Arabia’s existence due to the indelible impact it has made on greater Anaheim. Amin Nash, a fellow with the Arab American Civic Council, elaborated on the necessity of recognizing Little Arabia, saying, “We exist. The businesses exist and we’re only going to grow, we want to collaborate. We want to be a part of Anaheim’s fabric and we want the city to recognize us and to respect us.”
The predominant view on the benefits of ethnic enclaves is overwhelmingly positive due to the economic growth they generate and the sense of inclusion they instill among diasporas. However, the original goal of creating some ethnic enclaves was not intended to unify cultural groups.