Personal Experiences of Discrimination

Racial discrimination

“I have personally heard people refer to others like me, an Asian American teen, as a ch*nk, a whitewashed banana, and other harmful phrases as well. Being a Chinese American girl, I have personally experienced dirty glances or weird looks when I speak mandarin with my parents. Often, the feeling of shame or embarrassment engulfs me. We have to realize that it is okay to embrace the roots of our culture. That doesn’t make us any less American or Asian than others. It upsets me that people don’t realize how insensitive, ignorant, and outright stupid it is to use these offensive terms.”

-Amanda Liu

“As a mixed child, being both Caucasian and Southeast asian, I’ve heard a great deal of discrimination from others. As a result of coming from two different ethnicities, I don’t really look like either of my parents, but instead a mix of both. Because of that, I’ve heard some people say that I don't look like I belong or that I look one race or another. I’m sure that there are other people out there that have experienced something similar. When visiting one of my parent’s home countries, I’ve been pointed out multiple times and called a “bule”, which means foreign or white-person. Even if it is just out of pure curiosity or a teasing manner or just being rude, remember to always watch and think about what is being said before you say it.” 

-Anonymous

“I may have never been called any names that would harm me as an Asian American, at least not to my face, but that isn’t the only form of racial discrimination or even plain racism I have encountered. I’ve been to restaurants where staff would purposely serve me and my family slower than other guests. I know they did this too, since other tables around us, who’d sitten down much later than us, would have finished their meals already, when we hadn’t even gotten meals yet. I’ve caught people casting side glances and dirty looks towards me and my family. Additionally, people don’t seem to realize the effect stereotypes have on others. It may seem harmless, but it’s not. It’s not fun to have people say to you ‘shouldn’t you know this? You’re Asian aren’t you?’ I don’t want to live up to the standards they set for me simply because of my race.”

-Anonymous

“Growing up as a South Asian girl, I’ve experienced many instances where people have mocked my culture, particularly my country’s accent,  as a joke. Because this is so normalized in the media, I had always thought that I was being sensitive when I felt offended. I’ve seen from experience that it is often the“jokes” like these that promote more serious agressions. My family and friends have been mocked in public for speaking in our native language and told to go back to our country, and even worse has happened to others.  This caused me to grow up feeling like my heritage was something to be ashamed of. We aren’t the ones who have to shun our cultures to fit in. Everyone should have the right to embrace  their roots without feeling alienated or unsafe.”- Ruth

"Since I am from an immigrant family, I have heard people tell others like me that they are "whitewashed" or "an Asian trying to be white". In addition, I have also experienced looks of disgust when I would bring Chinese food to school for lunch, instead of stereotypical American food. Such experiences  taught be at a young age to be ashamed of my culture, but as I grew up I have learned to appreciate my culture” 

-Hannah Chu 

LGBTQ+ discrimination

“Starting from middle school, I have always heard people throw around words they do not understand. Often, they use these words to insult others. As a sophomore in high school, I would have expected people to stop using words such as ‘gay’ with a negative connotation, such as ‘you’re so gay,’ but the problem still persists. Even if you are not directly referring to gay people, you should never use the word in such a way. It is just offensive and perpetuates the insecurities of the groups that are targeted by this name-calling.”

-Dylan Le

“People shouldn’t censor the word lesbian on social media platforms. My identity isn’t something that needs to be sexualised or stereotyped as predatory as it so often is. It’s not fair to constantly be viewed in such a negative light.”

-Isabella White

“I've gotten a lot of people telling me to "pick a gender" when I open up that im genderfluid (same goes for me being bisexual). I've even talked to a guy from church that became a whole new person after finding out I’m a genderfluid bisexual and unfollowed me/unadded me on every platform. Honestly it's really hard putting up with insensitive people or people who feel closed minded to learning about modern day life.”

-Marissa Maeda

The first time I was called a “Beaner”, I was in middle school in the eighth grade and did not know what it meant but a teacher heard the kids making fun of me, and sent them to the office.  I learned it was a racial slur and label used to belittle a Mexican person.  Most of the time, I hear comments about being a girl, with a half-laugh and snicker of surprise, that I cannot do certain things.  Little do they know that their attitude only inspires me more to prove them wrong.  I tend to gravitate toward sports that are male-dominated, like golf.  I think people are surprised to hear about me playing golf.  However, I am not sure if it is because I am a girl or because I am Latina. On our Golf Team at school, I am one of only two Latinas on the entire team between the Varsity and Junior Varsity Teams.  Golf is a wonderful sport, but I have experienced so far much more blatant racism while touring country clubs and not being perceived as a participant in the tournament.  I can vividly recall some girls talking at the country club just loud enough behind my back saying, “What is she doing, she doesn’t belong here, she can’t afford it… maybe her dad works here.” I wanted to turn around and respond, but I just remained silent.  Was my silence an act of accepting racism or did I just lack the courage, knowledge, and experience to respond? It was true that I was not a member of the country club, but I wanted to tell them that I had been invited to play in the tournament based on my skills and that no, my dad does not work at the golf course.  I just bit my lip and thought to myself that I better show them on the golf course why I am here.  I took second place in the tournament. 

-Ariana Perez

Final Message -

 Connect and Share : Discrimination is a common occrance that may only be subtlety detected at times.  Stay connected with the people around you and support each other against discriminations.  

Reach Out :  All are welcome to voice to us about any discriminations you have faced or witnessed through instagram or email.  Each voice matters, @empowerbyhour team is here for you!