Abstract

It is becoming evident that the dual application of acculturation and assimilation is being enforced by the acceptance of cultural pluralism in the United States.  A fine analysis of this idea can be observed in the process of naturalization and the collective decisions of both naturalized citizens and eligible immigrants. In order to examine the foundation of these “collective decisions”, I volunteered at the Community Learning Center of South San Francisco where I am able to study the  basic struggles of the immigrants in obtaining citizenship, how private and public organizations help them with the process and motivations of their perseverance in obtaining  citizenship. Such venture involved learning the nuances of the naturalization process mainly through simulations in the citizenship class that I volunteered at.  From this work, I discovered the vital part that English proficiency plays in the process and the overall integration of immigrants to mainstream society. The question of allegiance is also presented in not only  the physical test but also within the applicants who are very much indebted to the United States that paying taxes, voting and serving in the army are not hard civic responsibilities to comply to. This kind devotion involves an abstract and internal modification of established views – a transformation that is difficult to do. Ultimately, the ability to take office after obtaining citizenship and the increasing numbers of minority politicians is a testament of overcoming the adversaries of running for office as a minority as well as the strong desire to represent the needs of a diverse group.  Hence, the obstacles presented in the process of naturalization and the collective actions taken by the immigrant populations enforce the dual application of both acculturation and assimilation in the overall process of integration of immigrants to mainstream society. Consequently, the political presence and cultural visibility of certain ethnic groups influence the bilingual society that United States is heading to, the ongoing demographic change and growing multiculturalism in the country’s established institutions.