Exploring the Korean and Karen Immigrant Experiences

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Marlborough hosted a special presentation of our Pushing Perspectives speaker series. Rather than hosting an outside expert, two Marlborough students in the Honors Research in Humanities and Social Sciences program delivered an insightful presentation on their original research into the experiences of Asian immigrants in the American small business community. Their talk highlighted the unique experiences, challenges, and successes of two distinct immigrant communities.

Isabel W. ’25 presented her research on Karen women, an ethnic minority group from Burma. Her interest in this community stems from her personal connection—her grandmother is Karen and served in the Karen Liberation Army in Burma. Isabel’s research focuses on how Karen women refugees have established themselves as small business owners in the Seattle and Minneapolis areas. 

Isabel explained the historical context for the focused concentration of Karen communities in the United States. The Karen people fled Burma primarily due to intense persecution and the ongoing civil war—one of the longest-running civil conflicts in the world. Unlike voluntary immigrants, Karen people come to the United States as refugees, often after first living in difficult conditions in Thai refugee camps. Now that there are established community networks in specific regions of the US, Karen people continue to settle in those regions to be close to their network.

A key finding in Isabel’s research was the pivotal role Karen women play in their community’s economic survival. The Karen culture is matriarchal, which leaves the burden of economic prosperity and domestic responsibilities squarely on the shoulders of Karen women. Despite language barriers and limited governmental support, these women have become successful entrepreneurs, particularly in the sushi restaurant industry. “Every woman I interviewed in the Seattle area owns and runs her own sushi restaurant,” Isabel explained. She noted the strong community networks and a spirit of mutual support have helped these women navigate the challenges of business ownership.

Genevieve L. ’26 focused her research on Korean immigrants who arrived to the United States following the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. Her personal connection to this research comes from her Korean father and his family’s immigration experience.

Genevieve explained that many Korean immigrants came to the United States voluntarily through employment-based or family sponsorship pathways. Despite being highly educated professionals in Korea, many faced barriers to professional success in the US due to language barriers and a lack of credential recognition, which made it difficult to re-enter their fields. As a result, many turned to small business ownership, particularly in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. “Many Korean immigrants opened businesses like green grocers, convenience stories, and liquor stores,” said Genevieve. 

Her research also explored the concept of the “middleman minority”—a sociological term describing how certain immigrant groups operate businesses in underserved communities while maintaining connections to larger suppliers and corporations. This position has sometimes created tensions, as exemplified during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when Korean-owned businesses became targets for looting and destruction. 

Together, Isabel and Genevieve identified interesting similarities and differences between the two immigrant experiences:

• Both communities relied heavily on ethnic solidarity and community support networks to establish businesses in unfamiliar settings
• Family involvement was crucial for both groups, though women’s roles differed between the two communities
• Racial dynamics played significant but different roles in shaping each community’s experience in the US

“Although there are similarities between Korean immigrants and Karen refugees,” reflected Isabel, “we wanted to do this talk to combat the generalization that all Asian immigrants—or any immigrant groups—have the same experience as another.” Isabel and Genevieve thoughtfully achieved their goal, providing their Pushing Perspectives audience with a deeper and more specific understanding of how Asian American immigration has shaped Los Angeles and the broader US landscape. Their research highlighted the resilience, ingenuity, and community-oriented approaches that have helped these communities succeed in their own unique way—defying the odds—in the American small business landscape.