Sophia Watha
Research Mentor(s): Yopie Prins
Mentor Department: English and Comparative Literature
Authors:
Session: Session 7 (4:00pm – 4: 50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 10
Abstract
Chaldeans are a Catholic people indigenous to Iraq who date back to Mesopotamia. Since the early 1900s, there have been an influx of Chaldean immigrants migrating to the United States, specifically, the Detroit and Metro Detroit areas of Michigan. Through their complex history of migration, Chaldeans have left, and are still leaving, huge impacts on communities throughout Southeastern Michigan. They are the biggest and first ethnic minority to start-up and operate convenience stores in Detroit, and own a multitude of other small businesses. Before Chaldeans, corner stores were not a common entity in the city. They have dedicated their lives to working to help give back to their communities and leave a lasting impact for generations to come, despite disparities and discrimination that the Chaldean community has faced. They fought through the prejudices and overcame hardships in the city, such as the Detroit Riots, and are one of the few ethnic groups to stay in the city to continue running their small businesses when times got hard for Detroit; they never gave up on the city. While many people left Detroit, the Chaldean people stayed to work and to continue making an impact in their communities. They are an ethnic group who take pride in their work and businesses, while also being humble and continuously giving back to the people in their communities. From creating more jobs to hiring those specifically in the community they serve, to donating food and money to charities in Detroit and building family-like relations with their customers, Chaldeans have helped play a big role in what Detroit is today. My project is exploring the impacts of the Chaldean community through oral interviews that I am conducting with first and second generation Chaldean migrants from Iraq.
