Exclusion and integration: the Punjabi struggle on the West Coast
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In the early 20th century, Punjabi immigrants had several challenges upon arriving in British Columbia and California, as explored in White Canada Forever and Making Ethnic Choices. Working in low-wage sawmills, lumber camps, and railway construction gangs in British Columbia, they often made significantly less money. Despite the fact that recruiting Punjabis during the labor shortage was imperative, many businesses believed they were inappropriate employees. Punjabis were also impacted by racism against Chinese and Japanese immigrants because they were perceived as not being able to fit in with Canadian society. White British Columbians were largely opposed to diversity and there were a lot of biases . Among these were the claims that they were unable to adapt to the "proper" social norms.
The Canadian government imposed severe immigration regulations that limited the immigration of Native Americans in response to the requests of white British Columbians. The 1914 Komagata Maru incident, in which a ship carrying 376 Indian immigrants was denied entry into Vancouver, demonstrated the rise of racism. While it's likely that Gurdit Singh, the ship's charterer, intended to challenge Canada's discriminatory immigration regulations, the episode did more to solidify racial tensions and institutionalize exclusionary policies.
By marrying Mexican women, Punjabi immigrants in California were able to partially assimilate into the community, even though they still had to overcome racial challenges. These marriages were common since it was disapproved to have ties with white women. Punjabis gained financial stability and support in negotiating racial hierarchy thanks to these unions. On the other hand, marriages involving African American women were discouraged in an effort to stop further marginalization. It's noteworthy to notice that religious differences had little impact on marriages between Sikhs and Muslims, suggesting that race was a bigger barrier in the diaspora than religion.