The majority of the information from this post comes from a survey that we took. We received 11 responses and our statistics will be based on this total. The individuals whose stories we have chosen to share have consented to this will remain anonymous. We can only speak on the areas we live in and the data we have gathered from our survey. This post does not represent all of the racism faced by south asians all around the world. We are here to tell our stories and give a voice to some of our followers.
Our stories.
Shreya:
Growing up, racism was always a huge part of my life. But as a kid, I never realized that the words said to me were microaggressions and acts of racism. I was born in India and came to America when I was 3 years old. The school I went to for kindergarten (in Indiana) had little to no asians, and I was maybe one of the only Indians. To give better context, the 2020 demographic report of this school reported that only 1% of students are Asian. Imagine this demographic in 2008.
My mother wanted to give me South Indian food for my lunch because I was only used to this kind of food and frankly, she didn’t know how to cook “American” food back then. Being the only Indian kid, everyone would laugh at my food and plug their noses. Because I didn’t know English that well, I didn’t understand what was going on. If I had to use the classroom phone to call my mom, I’d speak in Telugu because that was the language I knew better. Kids would mock me and laugh at me speaking this exotic language they had never heard. One kid straight up refused to pronounce my simple and common Indian name correctly. I would correct him multiple times throughout the year, but he continued to call me “Tha-raya”.
I didn’t experience similar situations until 8th grade. A girl walked up to me and said, “Oh my god! You’re so pretty for an Indian!”. I was about to thank this girl, but that “for an Indian” hit me and I was confused. Was that a compliment or an insult towards South Asians?
My worst experience was my freshman year of high school. My two Indian friends and I sat together at lunch. At the table in front of us sat many non-Asian students. Throughout the whole lunch period, the girls at the table kept looking at my friends and I, and kept laughing and snickering at us. A girl from the other table got up and sprayed perfume around my friend and I. Then, one of my friends got up to throw her trash away and within seconds, a full Pepsi bottle was thrown at her head.
Nikitha:
Growing up, I experienced several microaggressions as a South Asian. I can remember a few specific instances where I was made fun of for the type of food that I brought for lunch. I am South Indian and one of the most popular dishes in South India is Idli. I brought Idli to lunch in elementary school and as soon as I opened my lunch box, people would say, “ Ew! What is that smell?” I also used to bring lemon pulihora for lunch occasionally. Lemon Pulihora is a type of rice that is made with lemon juice, which creates a bright yellow color. People would ask me, “Why is your rice neon? Why does it look like a yellow highlighter?” I would experience these kinds of comments several times a month, but I didn’t want to trouble my mother and make her cook American food for me, just so I could fit in.
I distinctly remember in middle school I heard a group of kids talking about test scores and one kid saying, “This person got an 80 and that person got an 89.” Then another kid responded with, “Wait I thought Indians were supposed to be smart?” I didn't realize until I was older that I had grown up experiencing microaggressions daily.
In school and basically anywhere outside my house, I have always changed the pronunciation of my name to make it easier for others to pronounce. I now have the “American” way to pronounce my name and the “Indian” way to pronounce my name. This is also very common for many other South Asians. Over the past year, I’ve realized that I shouldn’t have to change my name for the convenience of someone else. People should take the time to learn how to say your name correctly because you deserve that respect.
One individual from Illinois described a racist encounter he or she had at her friend’s house during second or third grade. In order to keep this person anonymous we will call this person “Individual A.” Individual A’s best friend was white but Individual A didn’t care, because he or she didn’t know about the different races at that time. Individual A’s parents cooked Indian food all the time, which made the house smell and made him or her smell like that too. However, at the time, Individual A didn’t notice the smell because he or she grew up with it. One day Individual A went to their friend’s house and they were playing when they were told, “You can’t sit on my bed because you smell weird and my mom said it’s because you’re Indian.” At that time Individual A was shocked, but he or she stayed on the floor. Individual A later cried to their mom about their upsetting experience. Individual A said, “I realize now that was very racist and it was my first time dealing with racism.”
Another individual from Illinois described a racist encounter he or she had at a Jewel Osco, a convenience store, near Metea. In order to keep this person anonymous we will call this person “Individual B.” Individual B’s mom asked the worker for two everything bagels and two blueberry bagels. The worker was not able to understand her accent and told her that they didn’t have any of those bagels available, even though they were in front of Individual B and his or her mom. Individual B’s mom even pulled up a picture of the bagels to show the worker and he insulted her. He told her to leave and “have a great day.” Individual B’s mom stood there and tried to explain that she wanted the bagels but he continued to mock her and tell her to "have a great day." Individual B said, “It was so demeaning I wanted to scream.”
Another individual from New York described a racist encounter she had at school. In order to keep this person anonymous we will call this person “Individual C.” Individual C’s dad drove to his or her middle school to pick up Individual C for a dentist appointment. The school would not let Individual C’s dad into the building even though he showed his ID to administration. The white administration let other parents in but told him to wait in the cold. Individual C said, “People of color are not terrorists. It goes to show that no matter how educated, how assimilated, how ‘American’ you try to be... white America will always find ways to discredit and weaponize the color of your skin.”
Although most results stated that individuals experienced more racism when they were both younger and older, we believe that most South Asians experience racism at a younger age, they just don’t realize it. As kids, none of us knew what was societally correct and wrong and we would say whatever thoughts we were thinking. As we grow up, most of us learn naturally that saying these things are not correct. It’s possible that only a few parents will sit down with their elementary school aged children and teach them about racism: it is a very complex topic. But, as racism is becoming more prevalent in the world, it is important that parents have these conversations with their kids, even at a young age. Teaching children at a younger age stops them from continuing these inappropriate habits as they grow older. It is up to the parents of today to educate their children about this very serious issue that cannot be taken lightly.
Maybe most South Asians haven’t experienced a racist encounter, but almost all South Asians have definitely experienced microaggressions. Some common microaggressions submitted were:
Indians smell bad and smell like curry
Cow worshipper. Indians worship animals
Indians are ugly
Indians are dirty
Indians are responsible for 9/11
You’re pretty for an Indian
All Indians are smart
Curry muncher
Terrorist
First of all, it is important to understand that in no way is it appropriate to blame 9/11 on a whole group of minorities. Although us two are not Muslims, we are aware that almost all Muslims do not have the same beliefs as the group that was behind 9/11.
Similar to the situation listed above, if one has had a personally bad experience with ONE Indian, it does not mean all Indians are the same. Calling someone “pretty for an Indian” is a backhanded compliment because it is degrading the entire South Asian subcontinent.
The statement “all Indians are smart” is feeding into stereotypes and it can actually be harmful towards Indians. Since the stereotype is that most Asians in general are smart, this statement puts extreme pressure on South Asians to fulfill this expectation
Overall, racism towards South Asians is extremely normalized. People take advantage of the stereotype that “Brown” individuals are quiet and not outspoken and use it to their own benefit. Racism and microaggressions are common on almost every social media platform and are used in jokes as well. Not only is it up to your non-brown friends to educate themselves, but it is also important that South Asians themselves stop making these jokes.
For the most part, the “Brown” community on TikTok acknowledges the problems faced by South Asians and tries not to contribute to it. However, there are several creators who use their platforms to make racist jokes. The most common jokes about South Asian people and their culture seen on TikTok are about tech support, mocking Indian classical music, and Indians smelling like curry. When South Asian people joke about these issues it perpetuates racism towards South Asians and normalizes it even more. You can help by having those difficult conversations with your friends and family. Call someone out when you know they made a racist comment. Racism is already a big problem, do we really need to add to it ourselves?
Come back next week for our next post on “The Toxic Aunty”