Briana Chang
Attending a school where you are a part of the minority may put you in the position to be approached with several questions about your culture. Students, and even some teachers, may look at you like an encyclopedia with all the answers about being a person of color, but it is not your job to educate. Growing up in a society foreign to the people around you does not make you an expert. When approached with a question such as, “What is it like to be a person of color?” you should not feel overwhelmed in answering. Being a person of color is not like a one size fits all outfit- everyone fits into it differently. You cannot speak for a group of people when you have only been exposed to the things that surround you.
As a scholar you should explain to your inquirer that you cannot speak for a group of people. Explaining to them that you cannot answer their question does not mean that you are ending the discussion. Shutting down the question will only close their mind and may leave them only believing the information that is fed to them through the media, which usually demonstrates a negative appearance of our people. Instead of leaving them to wonder you should take action which may entail:
- Turn the question back to the person, “ What is it like for you to be the majority?”
- Ask them to rephrase the question so that it is not about your race but that it is more specific to your relation to the race.
- There are always answers in books, it can be an experience for each of you to find a book to answer the question.
What ever you do, do not deal with it alone, find a group of peers who can relate to the circumstance and discuss the interaction.
