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Wenxian Zhang, professor and chair of Asian studies and head of College Archives & Special Collections at Olin Library, has recently published a scholarly essay titled “How Stereotypes and Labor Shortages Lured Asians to the Sunshine: A Brief Historical and Demographic Review of Asian Americans in Florida,” in the 62:1 (Summer 2025) issue of Phylon: The Clark Atlanta University Review of Race and Culture.

According to his study, Asians began to arrive in Florida in the years after the Civil War, concentrated mainly in railroad construction, agriculture, and service sectors such as laundry, restaurant, and grocery business. Their population grew slowly until after World War II when the discriminatory immigration policies were finally lifted. The 1965 immigration reform act, openings of Walt Disney World and other tourist attractions, the end of the Vietnam War, the thriving sunbelt economy, and rapid population growth have all brought numerous new Asian immigrants to America’s southernmost state.

Shaped by multiple waves of immigration and various socioeconomic factors, Asian Americans are among the fastest-growing census groups in Florida. As results of his research, Zhang has given multiple presentations at academic gatherings and community events such as the annual conference of the Association for Asian American Studies, Orange County Regional History Center, University of South Florida, Florida Asian American Justice Alliance, and the James Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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