Caste Discrimination in Nepal to Racial Discrimination in the US: My Journey from high privilege to Minority

So much is invested in talking about racial discrimination in our country. My essay is based on lived experiences as an immigrant and might sound quite different. My target audience is everyone and not limited to any particular race or ethnicity.

Discrimination exists everywhere in its own way. I was born in Nepal in a high-caste Brahmin family. The four primary hierarchical levels are; the highest level is Brahmins, who are scholars and priests; the second is Chhetri, who are warriors and leaders; the third is Vaisya, who are merchants; and the fourth Sudra, who are laborers and farmers. Below the fourth rank of Sudra comes Dalits called “untouchables.” The highest caste had high status in the society. Caste privilege was associated with the power to own land, capital, and political power. The high caste received the best education, whereas the low caste did not have the education. People from the higher ranking did not drink water touched by people who were considered untouchables. Hierarchical ranking caste discrimination passed over generations, and that is how it was done (past tense, as it may differ in current time)

Coming from a high-caste Brahmin family, I was surrounded by privileges I did not have to earn myself growing up. I was seen as a daughter of a well-known, respected priest/scholar background. My grandfather was a Sanskrit scholar who contributed to Sanskrit literature with his writings. My home language was the country’s national language, and my ethnic group did not have a different tribal language. Whereas there are 125 ethnic groups and 123 languages spoken in Nepal. I remember my childhood as being a likable person at the school. Everyone respected my father, and we, his children, had the preconceived privilege of being viewed as people with high standards. I did not know about caste discrimination. I had not had any experiences of being pushed away, mistreated, looked down, underestimated, or segregated because of my caste or ethnicity.

Upon migrating to the US as a graduate student in public health school, my environment was filled with graduate-level professionals from around the world who were mature, understanding, diverse, and professional. I had my share of culture shock but did not have to encounter any racism or discrimination. The hospital where I worked had many international healthcare workers, and I never felt the bitterness of racist treatment. I did not have that discrimination ingrained in me during my childhood.

Although I had some knowledge of racial discrimination in the US, I did not quite understand how deeply it was rooted until I had my own children born here and fighting their way through as a minority group.

Several surprising examples: My daughter tried to fit-in in elementary school, which only got worse in middle school. I had yet to learn about what was going on. When she graduated from middle school (8th grade) due to covid, the graduation ceremony was a drive-through parade where she would say- Oh, that is so so…. he is very racist. As we drive along, she again says, oh, that is so so ….. he is the guy who commented on my hair being greasy (whereas she is the kind of girl who is a neat freak). I felt shattered hearing her multiple comments. As a parent, I have witnessed my daughter developing into a rebellious warrior, which the environment has imposed upon her. She tends to have a hard exterior to face the world, whereas inside, she is soft, caring, and loving.

As a 3rd grader in elementary school, my son had comments from his friends in the class as “You smell like curry, and one boy would always come around and sniffle around his neck. My son has hypersensitivity to smell and has never eaten our food in his entire life. When I brought up those comments, which were clearly discriminating, the school did not react or take any action towards it.

The discrimination is grossly visible- the color of the skin and the stereotypical ideas that the children have to learn early on in their childhood. Children from minority families have to grow up fighting this nonsense. This is unhealthy not just for children but for everybody.

Where do elementary or middle school kids learn these dialogues? Who is teaching them? We cannot blame it on the environment and not do anything about it. It takes all of us to make our environment filled with these stereotypical concepts that are probably passed down from generation to generation. How can we stop this?

All the minority populations, including the immigrants, bring their uniqueness and creativity. They invest their skills and talents where they reside. They are rich in culture. Hispanic communities have beautiful cultures, including Turkish, European, Arabian, Asian, and African. The immigrants leave their homeland, where they have their safety net of parental support. They come here for better opportunities for themselves and a brighter future for their kids. The US is considered a land of freedom and opportunities. Given our opportunities and resources, we have to recognize the discrimination, break the generational trends, and start healthier choices of thinking from where we are. We all can rise above this discrimination, and we all can do better, and we all can become better. Racial discrimination is the last thing we want to teach our children. How would it be if we had a world of no racial discrimination in our country and we focused on other better, happier, and brighter things in our societies??