Program 769: Asian-American Immigration; Democracy in Europe

Immigration to the United States opened up to non-Europeans after the Immigration Act of 1965 was signed into law. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, historian Erika Lee explains how it provided more of a welcome to immigrants from Asian countries.

And guides from Hungary, Poland, and Portugal update us on the political issues they're looking at in their countries, and what we might learn from their examples.

• Historian Erika Lee, author of "The Making of Asian America" (Simon & Schuster)
• Andrea Makkay, tour guide based in Budapest, Hungary
• Cláudia da Costa, tour guide based in Lisbon, Portugal
• Tomasz Klimek, tour guide based in Krakow, Poland

• Erika Lee teaches history at Harvard and Cambridge Universities and has just started as director of the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard. She's the author of "The Making of Asian America."
• The Immigrant Stories Digital Storytelling Project features personal stories of immigrants to the United States from some 44 different ethnic communities.
• Erika's earlier appearances on Travel with Rick Steves were on program #422 in October 2015 and program #449 in July 2016.
• Andrea Makkay provides private tour-guiding services from her home base in Budapest.
• Cláudia da Costa offers tours in and around Lisbon.
• Rick posted on Facebook as he was filming TV episodes in Poland with Tomasz Klimek.

• "I am an immigrant from India. I came to the US in 1967 on a student visa, received PhD engineering degree in 1973, and became a US citizen in 1980. Have worked in IT industry successfully for 40 years and very happy to live in the US! How can candidates for US presidential election be informed about the real positive value that educated immigrants bring to the country?" (e-mail from Amitava in Danville, California)

• Joaquin Lievano, "The Art of Bowing," Global Voyage (collection) / Global Pacific
• SPARKLE_SPARKLE_0031_01401_Wandering_A_APM
• SON_SAS_0229_00101_Electronic_China_A_APM
• TYM_TYM_0019_01901_Lets_Paint_For_A_Whole_Day_APM
• Chuei Yoshikawa, Takashi Hirayasu, "Asadoya Yunta," Asian Dreamland (collection) / Putumayo
• Yanni, "Orchid," Sensuous Chill / Yanniworks-Portrait
• CEZ_CEZ_4390_00101_Natural_Mechanisms_APM
• * Mark Isham, "Many Chinas," Vapor Drawings / Windham Hill
• Gender Wayang Pemarwan, "Abimenijoe," Music for the Gods: The Fahnestock South Sea Expedition-Indonesia (collection) / Smithsonian Folkways-Mickey Hart Collection
• Jolimont Project, "Uncertainty Principle," Tillman and Ambient Groove Artists: Lingo / SRI Enterprises-Musica Helvetica
• CEZ_CEZ_4390_00101_Natural_Mechanisms_APM
• CEZ_CEZ_4303_00301_Global_Company_APM
• VOY_VOY_0019_08801_Ultimatum_APM
• Stephen Kovacevic, "Waltz No. 1 in E-flat, op. 18 (Chopin)," Essential Chopin, disc 1 (collection) / EMI Classics
• * Witco Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, Trevor Valentine, cond., "Symphony in C, 4th movement, allegro vivo (Bizet)," Classical Transcriptions / Warner Classics
• Lights & Motion, "Fireflies," Chronicle / Deep Elm Digital LLC
• Equal I, "Equation," Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground (collection) / Omni Records - Mango Records (UK)
• Mariza, "Transparente," Transparente / EMI Music Portugal
• CEZ_CEV_3007_00401_Vendages_au_Chateau_APM
• Marion Verbruggen, recorder, "'Praeludium' from Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 (J.S. Bach)," A Decade of Excellence (sampler) / harmonia mundi

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• In this week's billboard, Rick notes that the United States has welcomed immigrants from Asia "for the last 60 years" (referring to the Immigration Act of 1965), and notes that democratic ideals are currently being challenged in a few countries, such as Hungary.
• Rick opens segment A at 6:30 noting that today's interviews are airing in the context of the presidential election coming up in the United States.
• The Erika Lee interview in segment A is a shortened version of her original interview on Asian immigration to America, which aired on program #449. We update her bio and most recent book titles in the reset at 12:35 and at the end of segment A.
• The segment B and C interview centers on current and recent political issues in Poland, Hungary, and Portugal, and the contexts in which they arise. Rick compares them at times to issues being discussed in the US leading up to the presidential election.
• At 32:06, Tomasz says the voter turnout in Poland's most recent election (June 2024) was one of the highest in the world, at 74 percent.