"How Did Jews Become White Folks" is an article that talks about how Jewish population got to be associated with white's and what were the reasons behind it. As Jews migrated to America they were mistreated to and unjustified to the level that blacks were treated by the dominant group. Jews made a common background with African-Americans due to the fact that they were being treated so badly. Then they've sent off their kids to colleges and started holding important positions in the society as they were moving away from the urban areas and into suburban neighborhoods. As this advanced more they started being referred to white folks because simply they adapted the dominant cultures values.
This article got me thinking about the whole being "Americanized" and "fitting in" concepts where someone becomes adapted to the dominant culture. I can certainly see this in my neighborhood because many people are newly immigrated to this country or the first generations experiencing the adjustments to the American ways of life. I'm not just talking about Polish, but many other European ethnicity's and also Latinos in that area. I know and seen some people I grew up with become "Americanized" while other refuse to abandon their heritage and even speak English language. This brings me back to the whole "fitting in" concept and that not everyone wants to be abandoning their heritage and become "Americanized", but the real question is. . . Is it really necessary to strip away your culture to become fully American?
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