Similarities Between Ozawa And Thind

Racial identity is the perception one forms of him or herself based on the racial group they most identify with. Although it can be said that one belongs to a particular racial group based off his or her background and physical appearance, race is not biological. Rather, it is a social construct that places barriers on the basis of outsiders’ perceptions of race. When two men who had perceived themselves as being white, applied for citizenship, they were denied on the classification that they were neither white or caucasian. The two men, Ozawa and Thind, had argued that they had been committed residents of the United States and deserved citizenship based on their qualifications and devotion to the United States. However, the U.S law stated
He was well educated, having gone through schooling in the U.S and later attended the University of California, before moving to Hawaii. Aside from gaining a proper education, Ozawa was fluent in English, practiced Christianity and had maintained a job in the United States for several years. In addition, he married a Japanese woman who had also went through schooling in the U.S, and together, they had two children. Ozawa argued that his skin was physically white and that race should not factor into consideration for him to earn citizenship. However, the Supreme court decided that the Japanese could not be defined as scientifically white and proceeded to classify them as Mongolian rather than Caucasian. More than Ozawa’s desire to prove that he was white and was similar to any other Caucasian, Ozawa wanted the courts to believe that he deserved citizenship on the basis of his honesty and dedication to the United States. He acknowledged that despite immigrating from Japan, he began and lived his life in the United States and should by no other means be considered anything other than white. While his case had been rejected in California, Ozawa was determined to appeal. He took his case to the U.S. District Court in Hawaii to be reconsidered, but unfortunately his citizenship had been rejected once