Finding Harmony

– by Nicole Young – 

This spring, Fulbridge asked ETAs to write about the theme of diversity– “the condition or quality of being diverse, different, or varied; difference, unlikeness” – in their grant experiences. This month, ETAs from around the world share how the grant year has changed their perspectives on diversity. Read the full series here.

This piece was written by Nicole Young, 2016-17 ETA in Malaysia.

In my small rural placement in Kedah, Malaysia, there is an emphasis on “all of the races and ethnicities living in harmony.” You see this emphasis in school programming, in federal holidays, and in many forms of advertisement media. The national tagline, “One Malaysia,”  a triumphant declaration of national unity, is displayed on many businesses big and small in both the rural and urban areas.

It’s true that, even in rural areas of Malaysia, one can find many races ethnicities: Chinese, Indian and Thai populations abound, deserving as much credit for influencing the culture in Malaysia as the majority group. However, separation between these groups is blatant. In most rural areas, like my town, it is especially apparent which ethnic group lives in a particular area as you drive from place to place: as I drive to my school, I will pass by a neighborhood of somewhat affluent, elderly Chinese couples, and then a large village of Thai families hidden within thick jungle. Intermingling is rare. I notice this most when I am eating at a restaurant: it is not often that you will see very many Chinese Malaysians eating at an establishment owned by a Malay family, or Indian Malaysians dining at a Thai-owned restaurant.

Seeing the interactions between these groups in Malaysia has led me to think more about diversity – its lack, its presence – and how a society incorporates it. “Diversity” itself is a word I hear all too often, usually because any space that I occupy will have suddenly become more diverse just from me being there, being African American and a woman. It’s something that’s been particularly at the forefront of my mind since orientation earlier this year with my 2017 Fulbright Malaysia Cohort. I often asked: Where is the diversity? Though our cohort is by no means homogeneous, I expected more of a true representation of the States from our ETA group of almost 100. But after some thought I realized that diversity isn’t the problem; it’s well within reach to make sure a space has a few black, brown, and/or “other” faces to be able to call it diverse. That’s not where the real work lies. A company or organization becoming a true representation of what the world looks like is really only the first step.

My true problem is with the lack of equity– the quality of being fair and impartial– and inclusion– the act of including, being contained as part of a whole, being considered. What I think is most important to point out is that equity may not always mean equal, and you can have diversity without inclusion.

It is these deeper divides – the lack of equity and inclusion – that have most concerned me during my time in Malaysia. A few months ago, I attended a district-level choral competition with a group of about 30 of my students. There were over 20 schools in attendance. When the winners were announced and the gift-giving ceremonies were coming to an end, I noticed groups getting ready to take pictures with their prizes. Each of the winning schools gathered to take pictures. I looked on, speechless, as educators favored students of the same ethnicity as them: Chinese teachers placed Chinese students front and center, while Malay teachers asked all non-Malay students to step aside while they took a separate photo. I was shocked. Here they were, unapologetically facilitating separation in a school setting.

Most of all, I am concerned about what attitudes this behavior models for students. I have often seen these actions, which are carried out by adults, mimicked by children and teens. Anywhere students have the freedom to choose who they hang out with you will see them choose to be with others that look like them: during free period in the open hall, lunch in the canteen and extracurricular activities after school. I have seen small racial cliques form when students are out around town, collecting in groups around their motorcycles, eating and talking in parks and alleys. I have heard stories about students asking, in private, if activities thrown by some of my fellow ETAs could be exclusive to one ethnic group. And, although my school has only Malay students, I notice at other schools the students rarely spend time with students from other races.

It is because of experiences like the ones I have shared that I feel as though, despite the presence of ethnic diversity, there is a covert culture of intolerance and resentment between groups. This seems to be especially true of the minority groups (Chinese, Indian, Thai, and others) in relation to the majority group (Malay) and, vice versa.

I’m not here to criticize a culture, especially because I don’t have a solution to the issue; I only see the symptoms. These same symptoms are very present at home in the United States as well. I have come to realize that, in both countries, there is no doubt that diversity is needed, but it is not enough. Living in harmony shouldn’t just mean occupying the same spaces. We should also be able to consider the experiences and opinions of all members of the larger collective, make whatever efforts necessary to include them, and start to see their value as people instead of turning them into “those people.” And this message is just as important for the U.S as it is for Malaysia.

I know that I can’t change the world single-handedly. I know that my being here in Kedah likely will not cause an enormous shift in how my students view their culture, or that of others. All the same, I can make small efforts to impact the way they view the world.

And that’s where, I think, Malaysia and America have something to learn from each other. Most of my students, and even adults that I interact with in my placement, cannot wrap their minds around the complexity of my identity.  They find it hard to believe that I can be both Black and American. That I too, am just as American as my White roommate. That even my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were just as American as I am today.

So, I take small shots, hoping to fracture their visions of a monolithic America. I correct them when they say things that are offensive to others or stereotypes about my country. When they say, “You don’t look like a real American,” I say: “But I am a real American. The United States is just like Malaysia: it is home to a mixture of people, not just the ones you are thinking of when you say that.” I try to slowly give them alternative ways of seeing things. I show them examples of the diversity through different forms of media. I tell them that I am proud to be the shade that I am. When I see students comparing skin tones, mentioning how they wish they were white, or using phone applications to lighten their skin sometimes in pictures, I realize how embedded the idea that whiteness is synonymous to beauty is in their minds. I take every chance I get to bring attention to the behavior in order to make them aware of how wrong it is to be anything less than proud of the skin they are in, no matter the shade.

Sometimes, I try to reshape their thinking on the world and the United States in more formal settings, like the lesson I gave about important leaders in the United States– Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Malcom X– explaining the role they each had in effecting positive change. But most of the time, breaking through their stereotypical perceptions about the States is simply me being myself: culturally unfiltered and unapologetic. I am anything but the stereotypical American that my students often picture– not just because of the color of my skin or texture of my hair, but because of the music, art, and entertainment media I consume, which often give a different visual of the United States. So I introduce them to the music and shows/movies that I grew up on: from hip-hop and R&B to watching episodes of the Proud Family, explaining  that this, too, is America. That the things I know and love can exist in the same space as the things that seem stereotypical.

I think that there’s value in us all doing that. We can make a choice to say that we aren’t going to subscribe to things we believe to be wrong just because “that’s the way things are here.” We can choose to build a culture around us that fosters equity and inclusion where necessary.  This may look different for each one of us.

Let’s not forget that diversity isn’t the destination. It should provide an opportunity to make sure that all voices and experiences are heard, respected, and taken into consideration– both within our cohorts, big and small, and within our placement communities.  Diversity is a beautiful thing, but it is also a fact. Making sure that equity and inclusion are also incorporated into that diversity is a choice.

* This article was revised from its original form on September 24, 2017. 

Nicole Young is a 2017 ETA in Kedah, Malaysia, where she teaches secondary school. She attended West Virginia University from 2012-2016 where she was a McNair Scholar and graduated with highest honors. Nicole studied Psychology with minors in History and African American Studies. Nicole’s family lives in her hometown New Castle, Pennsylvania.