Indian Young Girls in U.S. Schools: Hidden Struggle

As a soon-to-be parent, one individual took to social media, to discuss the issue of subtle racism faced by Indian kids in American schools, especially young girls.

He feels that Indian kids, especially girls, from a very tender age, are made to feel subtly that they don’t fit into the mold of American beauty standards. This can include direct and indirect messages that one’s skin color or features are not as beautiful as that of their white peers. These experiences can have impacts that carry far into the future for self-esteem and cultural identity.

The problems are not faced by only children of Indian origin, but most minority children in America face them. Available research indicates that students from minorities are often exposed to microaggressions and acts of bias- which might not be deliberately perpetrated but which provide long-lasting negative impressions on self-worth and identity.

In most cases, these experiences further internalized racism, where the children of color begin to believe the negative stereotyping about their race.

In the case of Indian children, events of stealth racism can be overtly expressed by behaviors that make them feel ashamed of their heritage, degraded enough to speak ill about their very culture as a means to gain acceptance. This may result in problems of identity and self-esteem well into adulthood.

Overcoming these issues in schools means teachers and staff need to be informed on how to identify and counteract microaggressions, while also encouraging an environment that celebrates diversity.

Strategies should be implemented that would allow all children to feel proud of who they are and not feel compelled to fit into a narrow set of societal expectations.