Becoming American,Becoming Minority,Getting Ahead: The Role of Racial and Ethnic Status in the Upward Mobility of the Children of Immigrants

Given the long history of racism in the United States, observers have been concerned that labeling the children of immigrants as “nonwhite” could lead to their downward assimilation. The success of at least some members of the contemporary second generation points to another possibility. The institutions and strategies developed by previous waves of immigrants, the struggles for equality by long-standing minorities, and changing attitudes about race have become a source of opportunity and constraint for immigrant children. Drawing from the New York Second Generation Study, the author of this article argues that programs originally intended to address the needs of earlier immigrant waves and those of native minorities, particularly African Americans, have become increasingly multicultural in focus. These programs have broadened their definition of what minority means and have, however unintentionally, come to serve as an aid to incorporation for members of today's second generation.