We recently moved to an adorable little college town. One of my favorite things about life here is getting to see all the university students at various venues around town. They basically run this place with their commerce, their vitality, their ideology and I LOVE IT! Another thing I really love about life in a college town is that it always brings in a higher level of diversity and we are very blessed to have many minorities here even though this is a very small town. We have a 3% Asian population, which is extremely important to Brian and me. That may not sound like a high percentage but it is actually pretty good for any town not on the west coast and it's very good for a small town. We want Button to grow up seeing faces like his on a daily basis. We hope to find same-race role models like a pediatrician and a pastor for our children.
I have noticed a new phenomenon in my lifelong "people watching"obsession though - race watching. I have developed an avid interest in observing race as it occurs in group dynamics. It's fascinating and college towns are such a great place to see so many different hybrids of the basic variations on old themes. I am always extremely interested when I see Asian students come into the restaurants or stores where I am. I love to notice what they wearing, who they are with, and the kind of things they are saying. I am just a silly woman wondering what my son will look and talk like when he's all grown up. I know there is no particular reason why an Asian teenager would be more reflective of Button's future than any other race but still I eavesdrop on their conversations wondering if Button will share their feelings about parents, politics, race relations, girls.
It's interesting to me to observe how many times I see large groups of Asian kids with no other race represented. I think that's great! They are identifying with their own culture and race and enjoying that inimitable bond of similar experience. I hope that Button will be able to share in that many times throughout his life. I also find it very interesting to watch how often I see a solitary Asian kid in a large group of white students. I ask myself: What is their social experience in that moment? What is their cultural background? Are they lonely?
--Rosemary
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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4 comments:
Race watching is very interesting. I want more diversity for Mia but our school/church aren't diverse so here we sit. I still struggle with her middle name. I wonder if she'll think we wanted to dismiss her culture by not using it or if she'll think we were nuts for using it. Time will tell, I guess. I couldn't have predicted my life so far - just have to do the best we can.
Glad that you're finding diversity where you are. Have to tell you though, it made me laugh to hear you describe your town as little. When I was in college, we went to your town because it was bigger!
It's funny, I used to do that too when I was living in the US, because our little town also had a 3 to 4% minorities, not only Asians though. But now I live in such a diverse culture (at school the girls have 72 nationalities!) that these days I don't do that anymore, because nobody is a minority. But I still keep wondering how my girls will grow up and who they choose as a life partner... we just have to wait and see :-) But no matter what or who they choose, I am fine with it and will support and love them.
Jess, the town where I went to college was so small we used to go to Walmart on Friday nights to hang out. LOL!! But this town is the perfect size as far we're concerned it's just definitely small in comparison to NYC.
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