Confronting Racial Identity and Stereotypes

Written by Jacqueline Hamilton

Any student, teacher, or staff member can tell you that being at Franklin is single handedly one of the most diverse experiences any of us will ever come across. In a school where we have so many ethnicities and mixtures of ethnic background it is fairly easy to mistake anyone for a race that they’re not. In some situations the wrong race can be deeply offensive amongst our peer. So is it our fault for our ignorance or is some of assumptions entirely justified.

“I hate when people bring up “King Of The Hill” when I say I’m Laotian, or when they assume I eat dog.” said Junior Diana Ratasmee. To assume that a Laotian eats dog or that all Asians are considered Chinese is ignorance on the part of the person asking the question. Common sense should tell anyone what questions are appropriate and which one’s aren’t. Those types of assumptions are called stereotypes. It’s a way to group people. When someone is genuinely mistaken are they at just as much fault as someone who makes an ignorant statement?

“I don’t care because my race doesn’t make me who I am.” said Junior Trang Nuygen It’s hard to say. Some people are so proud of their own culture it is hard to be mistaken for a member of another. In some cases it’s a matter of being grouped. Not all Spanish speaking people are Mexican and not all Asians are Chinese. This is why someone who is Honduran may be offended if you asked them about being Mexican. You can generalize people in a country that is considered a virtual cultural melting pot.

The other half to that is the idea of racism amongst your own race. Every race is guilty of this in some way shape or form. The people in each race have developed a racial hierarchy. In Asian culture Chinese and Japanese are at the top at the hierarchy while Cambodians and Vietnamese fall towards the bottom. Or in the case of African Americans where light skin girls are considered the ditsy while to their darker skin counterparts are suppose to be loud and uneducated. With the males they’re only know for being thugs or athletes. As if those are the only two options for a black male in the U.S. today While I don’t believe that any one person is superior to the other these are unconscious ideas created by people who are unaware of the fact that a human is a human no matter the color.

In the 70’s my mom put us into the busing system. I was bused to West Seattle, and that’s the first time I felt ethnic.” said Athletic Director Ms. Fakuma. A lot of the students at Franklin have been to diverse elementary and middle schools. After high school for those of us traveling outside of our norm, how we feel, and are we prepared to take on the job of being a minority. Most of us have never been the minority and for us to go places where no one looks like us and ignorance may run rampant, will we know how to handle that situation.

“ I think we are more prepared than someone who grew up around one race. We have a better understanding of what the worlds like.” said Violet a Junior in Mr. Hutch’s 5th period class. If this is true when someone is looking at us as if we’re an alien you can feel confident in the fact we aren’t out of the norm. We’re educated, but it is up to us to respect each other and each other’s races. We can’t let race divide us but be proud of who you are and of your heritage. Just remember that racism is not just white against black. It’s unrightfully judging someone because of their ethnic background, and that’s wrong. If we believe in negative stereotypes and feed into them then we are no better than an oppressor from our past. Just food for thought.

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