I navigated against discrimination by being able to connect with the common humanity we are all able to find in each other, if we practice looking for it enough. That attitude served me well as I began to reach for achievements that made me stand out even more. I never aimed to “code switch.” I learned to not care so much about being different from my peers. I am foreign-born and grew up with a foot in two very different cultures. In that process they learned to celebrate others’ differences with sincere appreciation and curiosity and to find ways to develop their own excellence without fear of not fitting in. As my kids’ schools segregate classmates into “affinity groups” that force students to “pick their tribe” and separate from one another to “safely discover their inward identity,” I instead encouraged my children to look outward to cultivate their differences and recognize those wonderful bits of common humanity that help us connect with each other.
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May 2023
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