Sociology

The experiences of minorities who have migrated voluntarily to the U.S. compared to those who were incorporated to the U.S. society involuntarily
    Some researchers have developed various theories about the different experiences of minorities who migrated to the U.S. voluntarily and those who did not. Those who migrated out of their own free will seem to do better in school while this is not the case with those who were shipped to America unwillingly. Though Culture Shock is part of the reason for this discrepancy, it is not really the only reason. According to Ogbu (1990), those who migrate to the U.S. out of free are basically interested in changing their lives whereas the others who came due to political factors or were brought in as slaves do not readily accept the new life as they did not choose it.
    According to Katz (2003) she writes that those who voluntarily migrated and those who were taken to the U.S. against their will have different interpretations of their status. This stems from the past histories and how those groups came to be in America. The voluntary minority group looks at their experiences of discrimination as a phase they have to go through and since they are aliens out of free will they are therefore not as bitter as the involuntarily minority group and they do they hold resentment. They have their own identities but do not oppose the other identities as they recognize they are the aliens. They identify with the cultures of their countries of origin but are able also to accommodate the experiences of their country of residence.
    For the involuntary immigrants they view the social system with a lot of suspicion and resentment and most in the earlier days were not hopeful of the future. For the involuntary minority group members, they see all their experiences of discrimination as a permanent way of living as a lower class and they end up distrusting the whites Americans even more and it makes them very rebellious. In forging their identities, their main influence is opposing the White Americans. Thus being Black in the U.S. simply means the individual is not White thus opposing everything White or perceived to be White.
    For those involuntary minority groups in America, their experiences are therefore expressed in ways which seem to stem out of anger and resentment and as they do not do well in school most end up not doing well even in life and some turn to crime. While the voluntary minorities go on to become executives and make a life in the U.S. because they look at the lives of  those in their countries of origin are leading and are thus motivate to do better as most are suffering in poverty.
    Thus the experiences of these two groups are very different and so are their interpretations of the situation and circumstances. There have been several racially influenced incidents in America whereby the reaction of both types of minority goes to show that the two groups take on experiences is very different. Where as the involuntary minorities react in anger and engage in destructive behavior the voluntary minorities are more civil and accommodating. 
Do assimilation theories apply equally to both types of minority
    Assimilation theories do not apply equally to both types of minority. The involuntary minorities seem to believe they cannot fit into the new culture thus do not accept it all. The voluntary minorities on the other hand believe if they overcome the cultural barriers learn the new language then they will eventually be completely accepted by the dominating group. They believe that the discrimination is temporary while their counterparts believe all those negative experiences are permanent (Katz 2003).
   
If not what theories explain the experience of either or both
    One of the theories proposed and explored by Vermeulen,  Perlmann (2000) and by Ogbu (1991) for the involuntary minorities is the Ambivalent folk Theory which simply explores the negative attitude this type of minority has towards the dormant group. Though they know the importance of education their experiences have made most of them reject these necessary needs subconsciously and they thus wonder why they should invest in a good education yet the dominant group is not ready to give them a chance as they are discriminated upon in their salaries, passed over in job promotions even if they have the same qualifications with the white folks.
    According to Harris  Pollock (2001) a theory that best describes the voluntary minority is the positive dual frame work where they see the U.S. as the place offering a better chance of succeeding in life than back in their home countries despite having fond memories about their home countries.  This view is not shared by the involuntary minorities since they look at America as a place where they have no chance of making it at all as they are discriminated upon.
Despite the racial inequalities, is Affirmative Action Necessary
    Though Affirmative Action has been misconstrued and now some people are advocating for other ways of dealing with racism it is still a very instrumental tool of dealing with racial inequalities. Therefore it is still very necessary to have Affirmative Action. This is because some people might be locked out of jobs they qualify for and in essence all the minority groups undergo these experiences of being discriminated against all the time. Racial inequality is so rampant that in some cases the White Americans will even move from their houses and go buy and settle elsewhere simply because a person from a minority group has bought a house in their former neighborhood. Through Affirmative Action it is now becoming possible for people to purchase houses wherever they deem fit regardless of their race (Gurin 2004)
Other policy options equally or better suited for dealing with racial inequality
     Some people believe that Affirmative Action has not addressed the foundation of racial inequality and unless the policies advanced get to the root of the problem then it is not possible to rid America of racism. Other programs proposed that would benefit minority groups are to do with class. Thus addressing peoples issues depending on their social classes will reach more people from these minority groups.