Despite this, all throughout my growing up, I've seen a clear racial divide in my town, and it seems to only be getting bigger the more South Asians move in. Today, someone who goes to my former high school tweeted something about how our school board chooses to observe Indian holidays (for the record, the only "Indian" (read: Hindu) holiday observed is Diwali, and we don't get the day off; we're just allowed to have it recognized as an excused absence*) and while I'm not interested in beating to death just one person's ignorance, this whole situation just plays into the broader issue at hand. Nobody discusses it at length, but the high school I went to is really self-segregated. I mean really self-segregated. And while there is an element of "sticking-to-one's-own" at play here, I also feel like the divide is a lot greater than that. In my four years, I often saw majority-white friend groups blatantly talk shit about majority-South Asian groups, stereotyping them as smelly, loud, nerdy, weird (FOBby) and a whole host of other adjectives. In embracing our cultures through participating in typically South Asian activities and making more South Asian friends, the non South Asian friends we made in elementary and middle school abandoned us. Those of us that did stick around our non-South Asian friends heard almost never-ending criticism of the "brown group", quickly amended by "Oh, but you're not like that. You're basically white!". I'm reminded from a quote from the movie A Passage to India: "Then, if I agree, the English will be able to say, 'Here is an Indian that almost behaved like a gentleman. But for the color of his face, we might even let him join the club." I can look and "act" white all I want but the fact that I am Indian is inescapable, and for anyone to say that to me intended as a compliment, and for me to have received it as one, is tragic.
South Asians of South Brunswick, I urge you to be brown and unapologetically so. Address the divide, call people out, and recognize racism for what it is. Because the face of racism is not only "Go back to India!" but also "You're lucky you're 'American' enough for me to associate with you."
*Edit (11/13/13): As of the 2011-2012 school year, South Brunswick School District has, in fact, given the day off for Diwali, as opposed to an opt-out excused absence that was previously offered.
*Edit (11/13/13): As of the 2011-2012 school year, South Brunswick School District has, in fact, given the day off for Diwali, as opposed to an opt-out excused absence that was previously offered.
