The Vulnerability of an Immigrant Indian

By Adesh Saxena

The raids and arrests following the attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City has once again subjected the South Asian community to public scrutiny and media attention. South Asians living in the Northeast corridor are probably worried about becoming a target of hate crime and must once again grapple with issues of identity, and of trying to be “less visible” and more “assimilated.”

The term South Asian is used as the average person on the street is unlikely to be knowledgeable about the diversity of people form the Indian subcontinent. Even well informed people in the U.S. often use Hindu and Hindi interchangeably, just as they are likely to spell Gandhi as Ghandi. The Northeast U.S. is diverse and houses a large population of immigrants, which provides some sense of collective security and comfort to ethnic groups. Nevertheless, it does not lessen the chances of someone, say from Sri Lanka, to become the target of an ethnic slur or receive extra scrutiny.

Acts of hatred, be it a bomb threat or impulsively spitting a racial slur, are irrational and unpredictable. The tendency to paint everyone with the same brush is likely. Your neighbor or fellow coworker may have forgotten details about your ethnicity and may be reluctant to pop the question, “Are you one of them?” Or they may struggle how to best get clarity without being hurtful. Over analysis and prolonged exposure by the media can add to a worsening of the discomfort experienced by the “target” ethnic group.

How does one maintain normalcy under these circumstances? How does one manage the safety of a brown child waiting at the curbside for the school bus, the hijab-covered homemaker shopping for food, and the turbaned grandpa walking to the town library? What can we do? I believe we must be proactive in establishing connections with the local government authorities. Consider inviting the mayor or the police chief to your Diwali or Id celebration. Give those who are contesting for public positions a few minutes of face time at your local community center. It doesn’t hurt to send coffee and doughnuts to the local fire station. These small acts of outreach may not provide immunity to hate crimes, but can empower us if the unthinkable happens