Prejudices faced by immigrants in the United States
Dalal again describes the prejudices against Indian immigrants as pervasive in the United States. Verbal threats and poor health inspection ratings affected both her mental and economic capacity to survive.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Chandrika Dalal, July 22, 1999. Interview K-0814. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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No. But-, when my husband (was) here with me-, when I-, we start this
business-, some people-, scared us on the phone.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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They scared you—?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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To kill you—.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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What would they say?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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We (will) kill you! That's it. Same words! They
say—. Keep calling you, keep calling you! If you pick up the
phone, and sometimes hung up, and sometimes they say "we kill
you".
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Hmm?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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So-, that's why I think-, it's prejudice. We
don't do anybody-, anything wrong. We just come here, take
business, make money, to make our daughter better life. We
don't do anything-, wrong.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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That—.
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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This is a free country. You come here, you make money, you work hard, you
work two job(s), or whatever you do, you just make your money. It is a
free country-, all over the world people hear. They are jealous about
you, (that) they are working (at) minimum wage,
and you have a property. You have a small business, and then you are-,
happy.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Does this still happen? Do people—?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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It still happen(s)!. I have a restaurant. I give (it to) the Chinese
people. They take (it) for one year. After he run business and (was)
travelling, so he leave his wife here, and that she can handle the
business. She gets ‘C’ grade, still town let them
to run the business-, then, her husband find out another
[unclear] help for his wife—.
(sigh) And-, after one year, lease is over. He begging me to take this
business one more year. After I give the lease and-, after one month he
come and he-, say(s) he's not interested in this business,
and I say, you forced me to take this business, so you have to keep
(for) one year, or you have to have to find out somebody. And then, he
keep this business-, he's travelling and his wife (is)
running this business with-, help-, another employee. Then
he's-, er… forcing me-, to give me five years
lease, so his employee-, get(s) the liquor license. And I
don't trust him, because he's drinking.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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He's drinking?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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And that time, my daughter is working in that restaurant as a waitress.
So, I know-, so-, he's begging me, and I say
"no". because my lawyer say(s) (that) if you give the
lease, then you have to (be) stuck with him (for) five years. And I
don't want to take that chance, because my daughter (is)
working there, (and) she's scared.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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That he's an alcoholic?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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Because he's drinking-, and it's not good for (a)
teenager—.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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To be around alcoholic people. That's right. Ahm…
Chandrika, do you like Pittsboro enough, that you can consider hat your
home now?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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No! Because that-, health department people, marshal
people—.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Who are—?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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Local people, my neighbor-, they all give me so hard time, and
it's a (bad) effect on my health. So—.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Who are-, who are marshal people? Who are marshal people?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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It's [unclear] —.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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law enforcement?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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Government people.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Government people. Okay.
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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Town of Pittsboro.
- ANDREW JILANI:
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Town of Pittsboro?
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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Yes. Marshal people means-, they-, connected with health people. So, they
just-, give me hard time, because I don't know the American
law. I'm an Indian woman, I'm scared-, you
know?
- ANDREW JILANI:
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They give you a hard time? Yeah.
- CHANDRIKA DALAL:
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So-, (they) give me (a) hard time-, for any reason.