When I walk past the hoards of people making the long haul to and from class, I am bombarded with white faces. Marist College is 79 percent white, mixed with significantly smaller portions of blacks, Asians, Latinos, and other races. I've received passing comments before about it. Do I mind being one of the few Asian girls on campus? What is it like to be surrounded by white people? Do I feel polarized by this lack of diversity?
The answer is no.
Some other people of my particular race may be offended by my answer. Only 3 percent of Marist is Asian—how can I be OK with that? The answer is simple. I grew up with a white family and had white friends. White is home.
I grew up in northern New Jersey in a middle class Caucasian neighborhood. My adoptive parents raised me with a positive outlook on my adoption, and I was comforted by their willingness to talk about such a sensitive subject. My parents are extremely white—a mix of German/Polish and German/Irish blood formed both sides of my family. In all the group photos, I'm the one who sticks out with my dark hair and tanner skin, but I'm welcomed as an equal member of the family.
At Marist, it is the same. I trek all over campus, go to basketball games, and see my friends, and I don't feel like a stranger. I'm not "that Asian girl" who people look at strangely. I am liked and loved by a lot of people, yet I can't help wondering if my being accepted is a false comfort. Since I grew up in the U.S., my mannerisms and speech are very "American." After coming to college, it was easy to speak with other Americans who acted the same way, so I have to wonder whether I have just become another white person.
While I am grateful for the life I have here, I unfortunately was not exposed to the culture of my mother country, China. I can't speak Chinese or tell you much of its history. So does that make Marist's meager 3 percent look even more pathetic? Perhaps the Marist students who are from different countries feel isolated and trapped in the sea of white, but I don't think that's true.
Recently Marist College celebrated the Indian holiday of Diwali. Over the course of one week, Indian food, culture, and tradition were showcased and all Marist students were welcomed to join. I often came across groups of students, Indian and white alike, practicing for the fashion show closing ceremony. They stood in a line together, wearing traditional Indian clothing and smiling ear to ear. That image gave me hope that even though Marist is 79 percent white, diversity is still present.
