Socialization and Ascent in a Racial Minority

Great aspirations and achievement are frequently 'uncovered among the deprived by structural changes that widen opportunity and alter traditional definitions of the situation and self. To minority youth in developing societies, the promise of a new nation is the promise of an era offering improved life chances and attractive identities. Their surging, impatient mood of hopefulness strains the capacity of these nations and threatens political stability when expanded opportunity fails to satisfy rising expectations (see Gurr, 1968; Rubin, 1962). Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954 and the emergence of large-scale protests, great aspirations were found to be relatively common among black youth, closely resembling the outlook of youth in newly developing or transitional societies. In fact, their aspirations were frequently higher than those of white youth from middle-class families (Sexton, 1963). Accumulated frustrations resulting from this gap between promises and desires, on the one hand, and reality, on the other, have been viewed as a major