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Racial Baggage Challenge: Week 7

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: This week builds on and facilitates the expansion of your networks exercise from last week. After doing much personal awareness work and reflecting on the stories we are told about others, we will begin to expand our knowledge of others.

To be clear, we will discuss small steps that can mark the beginning of a long journey of learning the fuller, in-depth, and more accurate stories of a racial or ethnic group different from your own.

Note the use of “stories” as a plural noun. It’s not my intent to suggest that you simply replace a stereotype of a group with a shiny happy story about said group. The goal is to understand that racial and ethnic groups are not monolithic yet at the same time often share common history and values.

Think of a racial or ethnic group you would like to know more about. Perhaps you have a coworker or acquaintance you would like to connect with more personally. Maybe there was a relationship-gone-wrong that you think might have had a racial or ethnic layer to it, and you want to understand it better. There might just be a group you are drawn to via their music, food, dance, or value system.

If you recall back when we began, those markers are surface level variables. They are visible aspects of our culture. The push this week is to lean into the deeper aspects of a racial or ethnic group’s culture so you can begin to understand the group more fully.

Let’s take individuals who identity as Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI). It’s AAPI Heritage Month, and this is a great opportunity to soak up the stories and experiences of a diverse group. This umbrella term includes literally dozens of ethnic groups, so you will be sure to find diversity among stories. You could check out area events linked to the month. You can view photos from the National Archives or browse educational materials You could even start following Facebook groups or websites that inform you of the issues facing AAPI Americans. Sure you could watch a Bollywood film, or go to an Indian, Thai, or Vietnamese restaurant, but why not dig deeper?

Consider learning about the history of Hmong culture, predominantly from Laos, and here in the U.S. Read a beautiful story of immigration, first-generation Americans and identity in Lahiri Jhumpa’s The Namesake. Or begin to understand how our Supreme Court shaped citizenship by excluding Indian American, Bhagat Singh Thind.  Do whatever type of digging you would like, but acknowledge that it is your work to do. It will lay the groundwork for authentic relationship.

Some people might say, “Well, I know so-and-so and he/she is _____. I’ll just go ask them to tell me about the group.” The burden is not on others to teach you about them. Besides, the goal is to gather multiple perspectives within a racial or ethnic group. Come having done your homework, and the other party can see you are invested and genuinely interested.

Think of the impression job candidates make when they come into an interview asking questions that could easily have been gathered by reading the company’s website or the job description. It is more impressive, and respectful really, to come with some base knowledge. The same is true for cross-racial and ethnic relations. Not that you can make direct links or assume everything you read will relate to a person from that group, but it will at least give you some place to start, some information to check in with them about that comes from a place of sincere exploration rather than exploitation.

Goal: To take steps to deepen your knowledge about a particular racial or ethnic group.

Challenge: 1. Select a racial or ethnic group you would like to learn more about.

2. Decide what three things you will do in the coming week to begin deepening your knowledge.

3. Share and check out what you are beginning to learn with a close friend.

Remember, the work to drop racial baggage continues to be personal. The goal is not to get a ______ friend (although ultimately this exercise in conjunction with last week might facilitate that reality). The goal is for you to take ownership of expanding your knowledge about a racial or ethnic group different than your own. Let me know how it goes and what you learned!

Kira Hudson Banks