Growing up in an environment with no diversity issue to worry about, I had a long journey with discrimination and DEI. This blog post is about my past experience, and what I have learned in this journey.
It all started when I was 12. I was in a summer camp in California, with other people from different countries that do not speak English as their first language. On the bus ride, a 17-year-old Spanish girl asked me a question “Do Chinese people actually eat dogs?”
I was shocked. Obviously, I don’t eat dog meat, and there is only a tiny portion of people in China consumes dog meat, which certainly does not represent all Chinese citizens.
However, this question kept me wondering “Is this a racist question?” Why do people never ask “Do all French people eat Foie Gras?” Maybe she was just asking out of curiosity, not in an offensive way.
And that was the first time I get in touch with discrimination and diversity.
As a citizen born in China, I have never encountered diversity in races. The majority of our demographic is Asian. Because of the environment, we are very insensitive about prejudice and racism: Making fun of skin colors, especially black, is a common comedy material; Saying inappropriate racist words is not a big deal on Chinese social media. I have never been discriminated by race for the past 18 years, and I thought racism is not a problem that I should be concerned about, not until I came to the US.
I started my college life at Tulane University in New Orleans. It was a completely fresh experience for me. The demographic in New Orleans is mostly African American, and only 2.89% of Asians.
February 1st 2022, Chinese New Year, is the most exciting day for every Chinese. My friends and I gathered in the lobby of our dorm to celebrate. Everything was so perfect that I felt I was at home surrounded by love and happiness, until a harsh comment broke the cozy atmosphere.
Making Dinner By Ourselves On New Year’s Day
“These COVID people…” from the security lady of the dorm building.
The lady was on the phone with her friend, and maybe she thought this was a private conversation and a private comment. But the words dropped like a bomb on every one of us. Not only did she ruin the best day in a year for Chinese, but also discriminated all Chinese by assuming they are the reasons for the COVID pandemic. Filled with anger and outrage, I was almost unable to control myself.
However, we were perplexed by the situation. This was our first time experiencing discrimination, and undoubtedly had no idea what to do. Should we confront her? Will this get me in trouble? Should we report to school? Or should we just pretend nothing has ever happened?
Discrimination may not be a serious issue, until you become the minority.
To learn more about how to cope with prejudice, I took the DEI training with AKPsi, a Professional Co-ed Business Fraternity that I joined at Tulane. It was the first time I get to learn about the specific concepts: what is intersectionality, how to be an ally, and how to deal with the problem in reality. I started to realize the subtle details in daily life, how people of colors are treated differently, how privileged people do not realize their privileges, and how intersectionality helps us discover the problem. Absorbing all sorts of new information, I was able to structure my understanding, which completely alter my previous opinion.
What I have changed my mind:
In our Fraternity, there are two amazing girls: Brenda and Erica. They are outgoing, sweet and kind to everyone. However, it was not the first time that they complained about how people failed to tell their differences, or called one by the other’s name. And the reason is quite simple: they are Asians.
Initially, I thought “Oh that’s no big deal. Certain people are just bad with memorizing names or appearances” But after the DEI training and talking to brothers, I recognized that it can be extremely disrespectful. Some people think all Asians are the same, so memorizing their names or faces is not important. They don’t take the effort to respect Brenda and Erica.
Instead of defending for other people, I should resonate with victims and be their ally. There are always millions of excuses to defend for an unintentional prejudice, but that action can potentially lead to harm and trauma. Pointing out the issue, expressing unsatisfactory, saying “You are being a racist”, “Not all Chinese eat dog meat”, “We are not COVID people”, “I am not Brenda/Erica”, to let people realize their words or actions are not acceptable. Being an ally with minority also means taking actions to defend their rights.
From this long journey, I have learned about diversity more than the past 18 years. Thanks to AKPsi for educating me on DEI and intersectionality. Writing this blog, I aim to share my story with more incoming international students, to help them be aware of diversity. And I also want to encourage more people to embrace minorities and learn to be an ally.
By April Yang
This is a blog post, originally featured on our brother, April Yang’s personal blog. For more of her writing, check out april-yang.com!
