Robert Blauner, writing in the early 1970s, discussed the differences between Colonized and Immigrant Minorities.  Colonized minorities are the people of color who are in the USA without full rights as citizens.  These groups are often segregated and limited in their mobility.  In contrast,  White ethnic immigrants, who were White even if they are seen as part of other racial groups like Italians, Jewish, or Polish.  These immigrants still faced barriers to acceptance, but have more resources to challenge those barriers.  Rather than looking within the groups for reasons for different rates of mobility, Blauner identified key structural differences between racial-ethnic (colonizeds) and ethnic immigrant minorities.
 

Work Options

Like Native born White men, European immigrants had more access to industrial jobs. Even though some of the emigrants faced limitations prior to industrialization, particularly working in low wage infrastructure development, once industrialization, began, they could access better jobs.
 

In the industrial sector, workers struggled for unions to improve wages and working conditions. The exclusion of people of color from unions made their struggles harder.
 

In the 20th century, many immigrants along with Native born White men in industrial jobs were able to secure the family wage. While people of color are in segments of the work force that are still paying low wages.
 

Political Rights

Nationalization Act enabled people to become citizens. They lived in regions where those laws were respected. Their concentration in urban areas translated into electing officials who could represent them, especially on the state level.
 

Many of the Black Americans and Mexicans born in the USA were in regions that restricted their rights to vote. Asian immigrants were ineligible for citizenship, so they could not vote.

In the south and southwest, many people of color could not testify against White people.
 

Discrimination in education meant few people could even become lawyers to aid in political struggle.
 

Protection of Families and Culture

White women were less likely to work when married industrial workers, so they could devote time to the family.
 

Employment options, even for industrial workers, promoted family mobility, because children were not required to work to support the family. These children could get an education and then can access more middle-class occupations.
 

Women of color were often pulled into the labor market to help support the family, since the men could not secure a family wage. In rural areas, children of color were often working with parents.