What Cultural Discrimination Feels Like Being Indian-American.

Written by Suhani Ramchandra

I always thought I was a special case. After all the news my parents watched and all the experiences my friends told me about how they felt colorism or discrimination of any sort I really felt special that I hadn't faced anything of that sort- yet. 

Right before I started second grade I had gone to a wedding. Indian weddings are vibrant and marked with colors, dance and music, and unique traditions and customs. One of these customs is the mehendi ceremony where women decorate their hands and feet in intricate designs using mehendi. This was usually one of my favorite events because mehendi artists meticulously drew lines and curves onto my hands symbolizing flowers, peacocks, and other images essentially bringing them to life. After the wedding I was elated to go back to school and tell all my friends about the big fat Indian wedding I had just been to and boast about my mehendi designs. 

They loved it. I felt the hubris of every 8-year-old when all my friends gathered around me examining my hands wanting to see the splendor that laid on them. 

Little did I know that soon all the excitement on my face would vanish.

As class began my teacher asked us what we did during our summer and I swiftly raised my hand to tell my teacher all about the fun I encountered a week earlier. When my teacher called on me, rather than asking me about my summer she asked, “Suhani, what’s on your hand?” I proudly said, “It’s mehendi I got at a wedding.” 

With a grim response she instantly told me to go to the bathroom and wash it off because it broke dress code. I was devastated and embarrassed at the same time when I felt almost a hundred faces stare at me. I quietly stood up and left the classroom feeling defeated as I made my way into the bathroom. I now stared at my hands with deep resentment trying to wipe the mehendi off with soap and water knowing that there was no way of it coming off. After spending 20 minutes in the bathroom I plodded back to class and miserably told my teacher that it wouldn’t come off. With a sigh she told me to be “more careful” next time. Back then I only felt embarrassed but seven years later I feel the unfairness and rage of being dress coded for showcasing my culture and identity. 

I’m not alone in this experience.

Thousands of students face cultural discrimination in schools every day. Students are constantly being dress coded and shoved away from opportunities because of their physical appearance rooting from their culture. We’re making students defy their culture in order to receive an education. 

One example that really caught my attention was when Andrew Johnson, a high school wrestler, had to cut his dreadlocks in order to compete. Minutes before he was about to compete the referee deemed his hair as too long and Johnson was left with a dilemma of choosing his identity or his match- he chose the latter. He had to cut his hair that took almost a year to grow, but more importantly, he had to give up a part of himself to meet the expectations of a sport. 

In fact, hair politics has been going on for a long time. It took 2019 years for New York and California to become the first states to pass laws declaring hair discrimination as illegal. That means that there are still 48 American states that allow discrimination in schools and they’re basically prohibiting students from entering school because a characteristic of their culture seems to be “disrupting” the learning environment. 

In another example Ifrah Jama, a seventh grader at Granite Park Junior High, was not able to participate in her PE class because she was not wearing required gym uniform. She had to choose between her Muslim beliefs and wearing her gym clothes. Once again, she chose the latter. A common Muslim belief is being covered head to toe, and Ifrah had to give this up so she could take part in a class. Ifrah later transferred to another school and here she didn’t have to comply with any such rules. 

Everyday students are silenced by school authorities and district officials. In order to be a part of the American dream they have to give up a part of themselves, an important part. It’s a bit ironic. America has become the intersection of diversity, yet students are struggling in schools because they’re compelled to flout their cultures. 

Like many other students, it took me a while to realize the importance of the situation. I used to feel like a ‘hindrance’ to the school system- out of place, like that photo frame that just won’t sit tight. Now, I feel attacked for trying to be my real self. And I’m not okay with that. I won’t let markings on my skin define who I am. There’s some satisfying sentiment with simply loving yourself.

I just want to be the real me- with a tint of second grade haughtiness!