Ethnic Immigrant Assimilation

Assimilation is the process where people originating from different backgrounds regarding race and ethnicity mingle and interact freely without being limited by their race or ethnicity in a larger community (Hirschman, 399). The United States is multicultural with cultures from different parts of the world; the social mobility present is owed to the promise of better lives and the relative accommodative nature of its people. Assimilation has been seen to occur efficiently in the regions with many cultures and ethnicities due to the lack of a dominant community among the minority making it easy to fit in and integrate. For these communities to interact and build societies that are somewhat stable requires time, which may be even up to generations because rivalries and conflicts are always among the select few minorities.
Immigrants in the US arrive annually; this means that cultural diversity will always be characteristic of the American society. The reasons for migrating their countries varies from looking for better lives and achieving the idolized American dream to evading tribal conflicts and wars. These reasons for emigration often determine the time it takes to assimilate and the level of assimilation within a period of time. Different proportions of integration can be analyzed to measure these distinct levels among them are, socioeconomic, the attitudes of the larger community towards the minority, intermarriages and residential seclusion (Hirschman, 402). The social aspect of the various minorities is usually of paramount concern regarding the rate of assimilation.

The first step to the integration of communities is through contact which can be primary for instance, families getting to know each other, or it can be secondary. Nevertheless, assimilation is faced with challenges such as language barrier and cultural barriers which neither stops or reverses assimilation but only slows it down.
Numerous pieces of evidence have been highlighted to explain the variation in the extent of the rate of assimilation into the American society. Firstly, socioeconomic inequality; economic success and social status is often subject to education and in turn the wealth and stability. Education is the pillar to progress in the American society, which is usually provided equally to everyone with the quality notwithstanding. Each state provides free education but not for college and thus minorities get a chance to get some education but when it comes to the transition to college, due to the not so good quality education in some segregated schools for minorities, going to college becomes a challenge (Hirschman, 403). With minimal qualification, the chances of getting better lives are difficult therefore the assimilation into the society is achieved at different levels by the various communities due to circumstances. The blacks have been less advantaged in this matter as compared to other European immigrants and the changes in the economic structure many urban blacks end up jobless.
Secondly, segregation regarding housing and schools, this has been following a rather negative trend for the black community as compared to the European emigres. The blacks are more segregated now than they were during the 19th century where they had to live near their masters. The majority of the blacks have grouped themselves in ghettos or residential segregations where they feel comfortable and free from discrimination and in consequence they miss out on opportunities, and their education and housing becomes of relatively low standards. The immigrants and the natives have a social gap that if physical contact is incorporated the intimacy of it may reduce the gap significantly. But due to the negative attitude the physical separation has been growing regarding neighborhoods but the same cannot be said for the Hispanic community who have been relatively going in the positive direction to close this gap (Hirschman, 406). Segregation of schools has also been the reasons for the seclusion of residential areas because people need to leave near their schools.
Thirdly, intermarriages; the limitations regarding the intermarriage between different ethnic groups is and an indicator of the varying degrees of assimilation to the American society. Statistics from various states that record some of the highest indexes of minorities have indicated on the number of people intermarrying within their ethnic community being unexpectedly high. The result of assimilation is the birthing of mixed culture children from the different cultures in a particular community which is a realization of the American vision that is illustrated by the melting pot notion. Among the ethnic minorities of concern, that is, the Hispanic, the Blacks, the Asians and other European immigrants, the trend and degree of intermarriage with the natives fluctuate relatively (Hirschman, 409). The Hispanic and the Asian have advanced regarding accepting and promoting the intermarriage of their children with the Americans supported by the statistics compared from the 1960s and the 21st century. On the other hand, the blacks have surprisingly been hesitant in adopting the idea which is proved by the unprecedented low levels of intermarriage with the whites.
Lastly is the attitude and prejudice of the whites toward the ethnic minorities, the majority population or the larger community hold power to determine the level of assimilation or integration into their community. Most whites perceive the different minorities differently other being receptive while other being repulsive which majorly occurs with the Blacks in the south. The social mechanisms responsible for this are however not known or understood but are believed to vary depending on age and education. With education, people are more liberated and can be more accommodative of the immigrants in the case of the whites. But regarding the immigrants themselves, tolerance to discrimination is determined by their education explicitly, the more educated they are they more tolerant they become (Hirschman, 411). The young are also tolerant because of the lack of extensive knowledge on the matter.
In conclusion, the disparities in the levels of integration in the American society have been persistently addressed to curb these issues. The government, for instance, has put in place policies that will limit and discourage discrimination of the minorities and especially the Blacks. These policies have been received by the whites with varying reactions but the fact that the minorities are vital in American community holds.
On the matter regarding melting pot metaphor, it has been interpreted from different angles, and the response from the immigrants and minorities have been different. The melting pot in the most prevalent interpretation originally from the play is that America as a country can accommodate many cultures and ethnicities harnessing and mixing them together (Hirschman, 412-5). The integration then leads to the interaction and mingling whereby the share cultures and build alliances among themselves after which through education, for example, social and economic mobility can be achieved. With the passage of time or generations, the original ethnicities will have intermarried, and children mixed and ultimately having a harmonious society sharing the same ideals.
Works Cited
Hirschman, Charles. “America’s melting pot reconsidered.” Annual review of sociology (1983): 397-423.