What do we lose with no cultural education?
Sifting through language barriers and cultural understandings
I grew up attending Chinese school. I never enjoyed going to Chinese school and managed to complain to my parents enough to get me out. Looking back, I have many regrets. Over time, my Mandarin has gotten worse. When my mother calls my grandparents, I often have trouble communicating. As a result of not being able to learn the language of your parents, you lose the ability to communicate and strengthen relationships with your relatives. Learning the culture of your parents strengthens the relationship with your whole family. Being able to communicate in this language also allows one to stay more connected to their culture as a whole. Holding a relationship with extended family can be very valuable to many and having those family members to surround you allows one to learn about your ethnicity and culture. Being surrounded in a space where non-White cultures are less accepted already pressures BIPOC to whitewash themselves and disconnect from their origins and carry a language barrier can continue to enlarge the cultural barrier. -Jamie