The years of the 1940s and 1950s up to the 1970s of the last century did not witness any kind of influential presence of the Yemeni immigrant in New York City, except for the closure of the iron and steel factories (the factories of the American Bethlehem Iron Corporation), in which many Yemeni immigrants were employed, dependent on the strength of their muscular and mechanical effort and subject to the arduous division of labor. Consequently, this pushed them to search for alternative jobs compatible with their low levels of education, while remaining in the shadows, away from political participation, or approaching voting for reasons that were unaware of what was going on around them.
After a deep slumber for many decades, an issue of particular importance, related to the political economy, emerged, which was written and raised by Yemeni immigrants a few years ago. Actually, it is a subject worth following after its features appeared clearly for the first time and aroused the interest of the American public. Hence, it requires to be approached because it needs analysis and explanation, not justification, so as not to pass unnoticed without documenting it and benefiting from it as a new and important experience that emerged within the political scene in the midst of the Republican/Democratic partisan conflict, in which the competition to attract the votes of the electorates intensified.
At a time when the Yemeni commercial sector in New York City was growing, it was also facing deliberate blows that affected its business, especially after President Trump used the presidential right by issuing the executive decision on January 2, 2017, banning the entry of citizens of six nationalities, most of which are Arabs, such as Iraqis, Somalis, Libyans, Syrians, Sudanese, and Yemenis, in addition to the Iranians. After that, the Yemeni-American voice rose loudly, and drew attention to its rights demands.
The Yemeni community suffered from the arbitrary administrative decisions adopted by the former president's administration without a legal right or justification. Therefore, it was necessary to stand in the face of these decisions in order to drop them from their foundations with their selective, racist, and fabricated political pretexts.
Nevertheless, none of these Arab or Islamic nationalities, with all their human and material capabilities, resisted or stood in front of the authoritarian decision; however, the Yemeni community stood up to it. This phenomenon caught the attention of other communities. Since this decision closed the doors and disregarded American laws, including the law of family reunification for American citizens, as well as human rights, because it implicitly and indirectly included humanitarian cases.
Moreover, the Yemeni community suffered from the arbitrary administrative decisions adopted by the former president's administration without a legal right or justification. Therefore, it was necessary to stand in the face of these decisions in order to drop them from their foundations with their selective, racist, and fabricated political pretexts.
On the other hand, this decision constituted a strong incentive and provocation to mobilize and arouse the Yemeni-Americans to reject the matter by changing their way of dealing with the American authorities, especially after they felt the danger of the existential targeting of their American entity and the deliberate marginalization of them. Consequently, they took a courageous stand, marking the beginning of a new era of democratic and human rights behavior that emanated from the depth of their suffering and their sense of the dire consequences of the executive decision. So they carried out their responsibility in a peaceful, democratic manner to put pressure on politicians in New York State. In addition, the Yemeni American Merchants Association was founded to carry and raise the issue in mid-2017 when it called on November 2, 2017, for an unusual protest stand, according to which Yemeni merchants closed more than 2,000 of their shops. Subsequently, this stand paralyzed the commercial movement in their areas of presence to deliver a resounding message that Yemeni Americans demand an end not only to intransigence but also to pre-targeting on the one hand and working to extract their rights and recognition as American citizens on the other hand by showing their growing commercial and economic role and the extent of their contribution to building America industrially and in services. Moreover, they even went further by forcing politicians in the state government and their representatives in Congress to come to that demonstration and then pushing them to denounce the presidential executive decisions that targeted this component of American citizens.
Likewise, the demonstration constituted a turning point in the march of the Yemeni-American political community. It received support, response, and participation from the Yemeni community in the various states, as well as the support of other Arab communities. In addition to the contribution of civil society and liberties organizations. Furthermore, it was covered by the most popular American TV channels and major influential American newspapers, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the prestigious Wall Street Journal, and other widespread newspapers. Consequently, this demonstration had repercussions on the politicians by waking them up to realize that there is a rising power that does not compromise on its rights. Also, this message had sent its waves to other communities in other states.
This act constituted a political prelude for the awakening of the new role of the Yemeni American communities to express themselves in the available democratic way, and to make their voice heard to the decision makers as Yemeni American citizens and taxpayers, just like other citizens of other communities.
The Yemeni community, along with some Arab communities in New York City, played a leading role in intensifying and joining ranks to engage seriously in the American political process, through which they were able to mobilize their forces and energies by grouping and lining up as pressure forces to demand their rights as citizens in order to deliver their voices and make their political, economic, and commercial demands heard. On the other hand, it is feared that the Republicans will return to power, and the immigrant issue still attracts anti-immigration voices. However, what disturbs the Yemeni Americans the most is the return of the extreme right and President Trump, who still has chances to reach the White House again thanks to flexible laws.
The Yemeni community’s sense of the importance of its role in American political participation has become a reality. Whereas the Yemeni Americans in many states of America, through their active political presence, have proven their relative ability to influence party candidates. Further, the aforementioned New York demonstration became the umbilical cord in this. Hence, the Yemeni communities in other states quickly responded to it, along with the community in New York, sensing the importance of organizing the Yemeni business community and its emergence as a rising force and a winning pressure card.
As we pointed out, the Yemeni American Merchants Association was the bearer of the issue. Thereafter, its role was an expression of the echo of awareness responsive to the requirements of organizing the growing commercial, economic, and political power of the Yemeni commercial community, especially since the number of their stores, shops, and restaurants ranges from 4,000 to 5,000 in New York alone, in addition to what is in the states.
Despite the relatively short life of the experience, the association, in its initial assessment, is trying to take its place in the light of the prevailing void, through its initiatives and programs that are mainly focused on organizing, supporting, and servicing the merchant community. Nevertheless, later, it extended to the adoption of providing some services to the community, working as a preliminary step to raise the level of individual and collective rights awareness, and then pushing members to exercise their political rights and to develop and improve their relations with the society where they live, in which they have remained on the margins for decades.
