I work with a woman born and raised in the US with an Indian name. Our job is in an office where all of our client contacts are entirely over the phone so our clients make assumptions based on our names. From time to time we get complaints from her clients that they cannot understand her due to her heavy accent. This always leaves the office in stitches as her "accent" is no different from mine, but I have an American sounding name. At the same time it's sad as it shows how strong racism is. People see stereotypes even when then don't exist. Studies have shown that racism is higher in areas where resources are scarce. I believe this is because it is based on fear not reality. If people feel insecure or afraid, they find comfort in lashing out at others which often surfaces as rasicm.
Be proud of who you are. I have Native American heritage in my bloodlines and am proud of, but I have no culture as a result of my family's racism. I would love to learn more about it but am too far from it now to learn aside from attending random Pow Wows of tribes I may or not be related to. It's sad that my family let this culture go when they should have been proud of who they were.
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