Amerasian
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Amerasian is a term coined by author Pearl S. Buck for a person fathered abroad by U.S. servicemen to women of Asian nationalities. Approximately 10,000 Amerasians were left behind after the Vietnam War. Thousands more were born to women during World War II and the Korean War, fathered by both U.S. and non-U.S. servicemen, throughout Asia, including the various islands which dot the Pacific.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), an Amerasian is
- Any person who is 18 or older, an emancipated minor, or a U.S. corporation may file this petition for an alien who was born in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand after December 31, 1950, and before October 22, 1982, and was fathered by a U.S. citizen.
- -from instructions for INS Form 360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant
As noted above, Amerasian is a term used for a child of a U.S. serviceman in Asia. The term is also commonly applied to half Japanese children fathered by a U.S. serviceman in Japan on the island of Okinawa, as well as half-Korean children fathered by veterans of the Korean War, most notably seen on the 1960s soap opera Love is a Many Splendored Thing. This is also applied to children of Filipinos and American rulers during the U.S. colonial period of the Philippines and children of Thais and U.S. soldiers during World War II. Aside from children of American and mainland Chinese parents (mostly born during World War II or in United States), since there are large overseas Chinese minorities in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, Amerasian can be a child born to American and ethnic Chinese parents in any country outside China. Children born to mainland U.S. and native Pacific Islander parents in U.S.-controlled Pacific Islands are also sometimes considered Amerasian.
Although the term Amerasian denotes mixed ancestry, it should not be confused as a racial term relating to a specific mixture of races (such as mestizo, mulatto, eurasian, blasian, etc.), since the racial strain of the American portion of one Amerasian may be different to that of another Amerasian (ie. it may be White American, Hispanic American or African American). Children whose American parents’ ancestry is Asian are excluded.
Because of centuries-old adherence most Asian cultures placed on racial purity, the lives Amerasians and their mothers were forced to lead were, until recent years, a terrible and unforgiving one. The mothers' family would disown her for the "shame" she had brought onto them, while the children were completely shut out of the opportunities enjoyed by "pure" children. This was especially true for those whose American ancestry was African American. Fortunately, these barriers have slowly come down, and many children have been able to either rejoin their fathers or settle in their fathers' native country.
This official definition of Amerasian came about as a result of Public Law 97-359, enacted by the 97th Congress of the United State on October 22, 1982. Colloquially, it is sometimes considered synonymous with Asian American to describe any person of Asian and American parentage, regardless of the circumstances. Amerasian is a term that applies to anyone who is of both American and Asian decent. For more information about Amerasians please go to Amerasian World (http://www.amerasianworld.com)