The Importance of an Education in Ethnic Understanding: a Local and Global Viewpoint
Global and ethnic understanding is a prominent issue seen in America, especially in light of recent hate crimes against Asian-Americans and overwhelming numbers of racist incidents due to a lack of cultural awareness. While this problem encompasses many facets of social issues, I think that we can reduce these incidents by providing a global education to small towns where it would be difficult to gain cultural exposure. Having a greater range of experiences and workshops focused on diversity will allow individuals to think more open-mindedly about different cultures and ideas. Additionally, it is important to note that racism is not a localized issue just in America; thus, it would be beneficial to look overseas at different countries to both understand the roots of racism and other ways to address it. I believe that an education in cultural awareness, especially in small towns, would greatly benefit our society in becoming more racially accepting while gearing people towards a better, more global environment in both a classroom and professional setting.
Racism in America seems to be centralized in small towns where racial exposure is almost nonexistent. For example, in a recent study done by the US Department of Agriculture, rural areas consist of 80% white population and only 20% of minority population as compared to more urban areas with populations of 60% white and 40% minority (Economic Research Service) From statistics alone, it is clear that in these small areas, minorities make up a low percentage of the population and, as a result, feel outnumbered and sometimes repressed by the majority of people. In these situations, it can be easy to become more culturally unaware of others and to avoid learning and accepting different racial groups which creates a border against minority members. In this situation, culturalism has to be oppressed to try to fit in with the majority, and racial comments and “hate crimes” are not viewed as wrong or out of place. Thus, even though the minority makes up a minuscule number in these small towns, it is still important that we address the problems seen from racial ignorance and support and try to create a more accepting community for the betterment of all people.
Specifically, for me, I have personally experienced aspects of the lack of racial and cultural awareness in America. Growing up in the small town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, my community is mostly white and, in my entire neighborhood, my family and I are the only Asian Americans. Even at a young age, my “almond-shaped” eyes were considered to be anomalies with my friends, and they often pointed out my differences from my straight black hair to the ethnic Korean food that I ate. While these observations were innocent and based on childlike curiosity, as we grew older and these differences separated us even more, these comments turned into sharp, mocking jabs at me and my race. There were often strong stereotypical and racial impressions that people had about me immediately based on “small-town” thinking and lack of exposure to different cultures and races.
On the other hand, my experiences in bigger towns like Chicago where racial diversity was more common contrasted greatly with my life in a small town. Even though I might have looked different than the people there, I rarely was attacked or felt pushed out because of my race. Instead, it was common to find other minority groups and have others want to learn about my culture. Although I still faced some racist incidents, it was greatly reduced as compared to my hometown and I felt accepted by my community. These differences came from the fact that in larger towns, people are constantly learning on a global scale about diverse cultures and races whereas, in more rural areas, diversity was shunned and viewed negatively. Thus, I felt like by simply re-educating or exposing these people to a larger scale of ideas and cultures, I could more easily be accepted by my community at home.
However, it is important to remember that the issue of the lack of racial awareness does not stop in one town; this is prevalent around the world and has been a centuries-old problem with no clear global solution to help combat this. It is important to look to other countries and understand the primal roots of racism to find the proper solutions to address it in a global and local setting. Specifically, racism in Korea, especially against foreigners, is a prevalent issue. Foreigners often get racially profiled and discriminated against simply for their nationality and culture. This is especially seen in international students in Korean colleges who get mistreated by their classmates and faculty through “feelings of unacceptance..and disrespectful conduct because of one’s ethnicity” (Lee and Kiyong, 2017). Similar to my experience in America, alienation is a huge social issue that encompasses the principles of racism. These experiences in Korea are a universal issue that can easily translate to many other countries’ specific incidents of racism. Korea’s views of nationality or superiority of their culture over others create a sense of hierarchy and thus discrimination against other “lesser cultures.” While it might seem insignificant, I think that understanding the root of racism is equally important to address ways on how to fix it. This reveals how certain countries think and explains why these problems need to be addressed in local communities and not through a single international approach.
When I went abroad to Korea, I experienced this nationalistic ideology since they were not accepting of my American side. Even though I went to many metropolitan areas where diversity would not be hard to find, I still experienced moments of discrimination. The Korean citizens there called me culturally incompetent for speaking English and, while these attacks were less hateful than the ones I experienced in America, I still felt shunned by the Korean community. In Korea, culture or race is not skin deep and, while I might be fully Korean, my inability to speak Korean or fully know about cultural traditions in that area made me inferior to them. Because of this, I felt alienated and shunned by my “own country”. Thus, I think that now more than ever, it is important to have an education on cultural awareness and exposure, especially starting at a young age, which is essential to increase understanding towards different races and promoting a global way of thinking. This can ensure that all communities and races feel welcomed and can help reduce global racism towards minority groups.
These observations lead to the interesting viewpoint that, although America and South Korea face similar problems of racial discrimination and cultural awareness, they stem from different issues. In America, racism seems to be a result of hate and malice towards other cultures, which can create feelings of animosity and lead to more violent crimes. However, in South Korea, these issues are driven more in an economic sense; as Keith Richburg states, “Much of what I’ve seen in Asia can be attributed to the naive racism of ignorance..with lighter skin being associated with a higher social class rather than a different ethnicity” (Richburg, 2016). Korea is driven less on “hate” and more on cultural misconceptions and nationalistic viewpoints, creating a social stigma rather than a violent output. As seen in America and Korea, while racism and cultural awareness is a global issue, this issue stems from problems that vary from country to country based on cultural stances or integrated viewpoints, and, as a result, needs to be addressed differently for each country.
Nevertheless, no matter where this issue stems from, as a community, we still need to find ways to fix it. Even though the bases of racial ignorance are all the same, the result and negative impact that it has is universal. Every group that faces hate against their kind and culture feels ostracized and disconnected from their own community, something that is difficult to face for anyone. From personal experiences myself, I understood the differences behind the racial incidents that I faced, but still felt the isolation that resulted from both cases. It is extremely disheartening to be shunned just because of your culture and race, which is something that is still prevalent around the world. As a result, we have to try to create an environment and education where global thinking and racial acceptance are heavily practiced and encouraged.
Specifically, in America, reeducation in cultural awareness should be more focused on acceptance and understanding of different cultures, but abroad, this focus should shift to being more welcoming and willing to learn about new cultures. By tailoring these programs to each countries’ specific needs and wants, we will be able to address these cultural issues and reach resolutions in a faster, more efficient manner. However, with this being said, I believe that there should be a baseline format that we should encourage countries to implement. Especially now, having a general reeducation in cultural and racial awareness can benefit most regions, especially small towns where this diversity might be hard to find and understand. This focus should be implemented throughout a young age and into adulthood to encourage greater cultural understanding and a stronger community while preparing people for working in a global world.
Especially in adolescents, having an education basis in procuring more global-geared thinking, helps to enforce and promote these ideas of racial acceptance at a young age. In Korea, there are already programs and studies where they encourage this way of thinking in a classroom environment to help promote more multicultural exposure and understanding. It is important to tailor this focus towards educating the teachers and having them relay this in a classroom environment. Furthermore, “Teachers with greater multicultural sensitivity have reciprocal relationships by positively influencing others and..have high-quality teaching strategies and construct a positive classroom atmosphere that elicits encouraging” (Huh, et. al, 2015). As seen with this Korean study, teachers play a heavy role in a student’s education, so they must be the ones to try and enforce cultural awareness in an elementary/middle-school classroom setting positively and constructively. These positive effects can be seen in experimental studies here in America where, after dialogues and information focused on racial awareness, the majority of adolescents were tested to be more ethnically aware by almost 20% (Adriana et. al, 2012). This information and data are extremely vital to study and understand because this displays how education for children is essential to help them understand racial acceptance so that they can be open to learning on a global scale. I would especially like to emphasize that this change was most prominently seen in areas of lower education where this type of cultural learning could be difficult to obtain. Thus, this education should be especially enforced in more rural areas where diversity is less common. Additionally, by focusing a global education towards adolescents, this way of thinking will become more natural and innate which will more easily translate over to future interactions and environment.
However, education on racial awareness should not just be focused on adolescents. Especially in small areas where this exposure might be difficult, addressing these issues should be an ongoing education that continues into older individuals of college-age and beyond. Studies involved in this analysis display that, “Using a 10-year longitudinal sample of 8,634 alumni from 229 institutions, diversity workshop participation is significantly and positively related” towards individual growth, beliefs, and social skills (Bowman et.al, 2016). I think that this shows that having an open environment geared towards racial acceptance in older individuals is important in aiding individual growth and understanding of ethnic issues. In small areas, people can forgo this experience due to the lack of opportunity, but, as seen in these studies, this is essential in preparing people for the future of working with others in a global environment and market (Diggles, 2014). It not only increased a change in the participant’s personal beliefs and thinking, but it also allowed them to better interact with their colleagues. While cultural awareness workshops should be implemented in all college environments, it is important to focus this education on smaller communities as well to increase exposure to a global world.
Personally, relating this back to my own experiences with racism, I think that the above solutions could have greatly helped encourage the people in my town to start thinking more globally to benefit themselves and minority groups. Racism is not something that people are born with, rather something that they learn from other people or what they see on a day-to-day basis. Thus, similarly to how racism is cultivated, we can teach people to be more globally accepting, by creating an atmosphere of understanding and growth. I think that starting this education at a young age can encourage global thinking and cultural acceptance right away. If we had such programs in my community, the number of racist incidents I faced, especially growing up, would have been greatly reduced because my differences with others for my race would have been viewed as something positive, rather than a negative aspect that differentiated me from everyone else.
However, while there are many pros to having a global education, this is something that might not easily be recognized and wanted by the general public. Issues around having these topics being implemented in an educational setting is that it can take away from one’s core education. On top of that, many people can be resistant to these changes merely because of the unwillingness to address these social issues and find ways to change their way of thinking (Diggles, 2014). They find it easier to stay stagnant with their beliefs or they believe their views to be accurate, even though it hurts many groups in the process. Although these issues are valid, this does not take away from the fact that racial awareness is still a prevalent problem in America that needs to be addressed and worked through.
There are many possible solutions to combat the problems presented above. Addressing the first issue, I think that education in globalization is equally important to any other subject that one might take in a classroom setting because it aids in both individual and societal growth. These skills are essential for a work and classroom environment and help an individual fit in and contribute to a global society. Delving into the second issue, especially in a small town where change can be hard to facilitate, it might be difficult to get the general public to actively participate in these workshops and global education. While resistance might be met at first, this should not stop or inhibit the promotion of racial awareness. We can combat this by creating more community and social-based events aimed towards racial and cultural growth to create an inclusive environment that still focuses on these issues (Diggles, 2014). In other words, we can make workshops and events both educational and fun to promote active participation and a larger attendance.
While these solutions solve problems that might be faced with the reception of global education, we have to address issues by finding ways to promote racial awareness. For example, in my area, there are small workshops like “Passports around the World” or “Taste of India” where we can find snippets of a diverse environment. In these programs, college students or community members would bring small cultural traditions or objects such as food and use them to help introduce their culture to others. These usually take place in a private venue or on a college campus and are “pay to participate programs,” meaning that they are privately funded by the participants. Thus, while these activities are fun and engaging, it can be difficult to find these events past adolescent age and they can get a little expensive. More importantly, since they introduce small aspects of a singular culture, it is difficult to promote multiracial awareness and understanding of cultural acceptance as a whole. Cultural awareness is completely different from culture introduction, and I think that it is important that, as a community, we have workshops and events geared to people of all ages that focus specifically on the topic of racial awareness. I believe that it is especially important to emphasize that this “reeducation” should encompass many facets of cultural understanding to ensure the best possible solution to racial inequality. As stated by Hyein Kim, “Multicultural education in Korea should move beyond merely tolerating, celebrating, and co-existing with ‘Other’ students. Multicultural education should include exploring inequalities, stereotypes, and discrimination, and should teach social justice.” It is important that we, as a community, learn to celebrate and actively learn about these differences instead of learning to just tolerate or live with them.
While this is essential to community and societal growth, it can be difficult to find a more readily available source of global education. Thus, I think that, in these small areas, it is important to encourage minority members of the community to step up to share their culture and experiences/discrimination that they face because of their race. By doing so, they can help share personal accounts and ways to become racially conscious. More importantly, promoting multicultural awareness through their community engagement can bring in a larger audience and encourage and support active participation. Additionally, as seen with Ariel Beaujot’s project “Hear, Here” we can implement technology to bring greater racial awareness on issues seen in society in places where it is difficult to bring in racial diversity. With this project, Beaujot’s team put up signs and phone booths around the city encouraging people to dial a toll-free number to hear stories and learn more about racial injustices or issues in certain areas (Beaujot, A). I believe that this would be a great way to implement more global and racial experiences because it makes these resources readily available to the public while encouraging people to learn on a wider scale. Even though organizing global events in small areas could be a challenge due to a lack of resources, there are many possible solutions to overcome this barrier.
Although it is not impossible, global education, as seen with the above situations, will require effort and work to fully implement it on a global scale. However, it is important to start now and implement as many of these aspects as possible in communities and small towns to help reinforce more global-minded thinking in our current state. I think that it is especially necessary to localize and recruit help from community members and teachers/professors in schools to try to educate their peers and encourage participation. This can create more communal efforts and make reeducation of cultural awareness possible and readily available for the public. Thus, these efforts are both doable and necessary to invoke change with the racial issues that we see in modern society.
Consequently, this leads to the question of is a global education and racial acceptance really that important? I think that the answer to this dilemma is multi-faceted in that this encompasses all ranges of social interactions and individual acceptance. First, the world is becoming more global every day and, from an economic and business standpoint, we need to support a community that is able to keep up with this global need. Different racial groups have to learn how to work together by addressing their differences and learning to accept each other. However, most importantly, in a global sense, racial acceptance is something that we have failed to fully implement. We need to learn how to be a strong community in both a local and global sense so that all individuals, no matter their racial background or cultural group, are recognized and promoted in a school, work, or social setting. “…achieving diversity within these institutions involves more than objective inclusion — it also necessitates the psychological inclusion of racial minorities” (Chen and David, 2015). In other words, even though racial ignorance and ostracization create a physical divide that we can see and understand, this problem creates deeper emotional problems and issues that are permanent and even more damaging. Thus, while these issues might stem from one area or be focused on a specific country or town, the effects are global. We have to, as a global community, address and find ways to fix this problem in order to create a stronger society, fixed on positive ideals of racial acceptance and understanding.
In conclusion, while it might initially be difficult to get an education on racial awareness accepted by the general public, it is important and essential to drive for this to be implemented in an educational setting, especially in small towns where this exposure would be difficult to obtain. Recent events such as BLM and Stop Asian Hate where minority groups are targeted by the general public for discrimination and hate simply shows the heightened need for cultural acceptance, especially here in America. As a global community, we have gotten to a point where racism and hate are normalized, while acceptance and understanding are pushed aside. We need to address this issue, and it is important to pool efforts in local communities and a global setting to encourage each other to be more accepting and understanding of different cultures and ideas. As a result, we can promote greater cultural understanding in a communal sense which would lead towards a more productive and accepting society.
Works Cited Page
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Beaujot, Ariel. “Sun Up in a Sundown Town: Public History, Private Memory, and Racism in a Small City.” The Public Historian 40.2 (2018): 43–68.
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Chen, Jacqueline M., and David L. Hamilton. “Understanding diversity: The importance of social acceptance.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 41.4 (2015): 586–598.
Diggles, Kimberly. “Addressing racial awareness and color‐blindness in higher education.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2014.140 (2014): 31–44.
Huh, Ho-Kyung, Seong Woo Choi, and JuSung Jun. “Relationships among multicultural sensitivity, multicultural education awareness, and level of multicultural education practice of South Korean teachers.” KEDI Journal of Educational Policy 12.1 (2015).
Kim, Hyein Amber. “Understanding “Koreanness”: Racial Stratification and Colorism in Korea and Implications for Korean Multicultural Education.” International Journal of Multicultural Education 22.1 (2020): 76–97.
Lee, Jenny, Jae-Eun Jon, and Kiyong Byun. “Neo-racism and neo-nationalism within East Asia: The experiences of international students in South Korea.” Journal of Studies in International Education 21.2 (2017): 136–155.
Economic Research Service. “Racial and Ethnic Minorities Made up about 22 Percent of the Rural Population in 2018, Compared to 43 Percent in Urban Areas.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13 Oct. 2020, www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=99538#:%7E:text=Racial%20and%20ethnic%20minorities%20made,57.3%20percent%20of%20urban%20areas.
Richburg, Keith. “Ignorance vs. Malice: Comparing Racism in Asia and the US.” Nikkei Asia, 18 Aug. 2016, asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Ignorance-vs.-malice-comparing-racism-in-Asia-and-the-US.
