How to Deal with "Cultural Missteps" at College

You're a black student going to a predominately white school. Everyone has warned you about going to this school. "You're gonna run into a lot of problems there," they've said. Well, forget what they've said. As a minority, you will probably deal with cultural missteps for the rest of your life. Going to college is an important part of learning how to deal with these issues intelligently. In this article, I will discuss how to deal with particular "missteps".

1. People who think it's funny to "act black".

You will probably come across people who will think it's funny to twist their hat around, make silly gang signs, and imitate African American vernacular speech. It's best to nip this in the butt immediately by saying something calmly like, "I feel really uncomfortable around you when you act like that. As a black person, it's really important to me that I not perpetuate or accept stereotypes of black people. I hope you will respect me and not do that when I'm around." This sounds sort of stiff, but you can put it into your own words.

2. The Old "You don't wash your hair every day?" Question

As a black person, it's impossible not to learn a lot about mainstream white culture (not to say that it is all the same). However, many people of other ethnicities are not familiar with everyday black practices like...not washing your hair every day. It's important to not make an immediate judgment of this person; they may genuinely be surprised about this fact. Simply explain why you do things differently. Sometimes you have to serve as an educator about your cultural practices.

3. Use of the "N" word (and others).

Under no circumstance, should you tolerate the use of any derogatory terms. Some people will have friends that tell them that it's okay to use these words or maybe they will simply be repeating the lyrics of a song. Either way, don't tolerate it. However, don't flip out either. Calmly explain how disrespectful they are being. If they persist, you may want to sever contact with this person or take more aggressive actions (like speaking with school authorities).

4. Get involve with multicultural organizations on campus.

It will help you to be around people who deal with similar issues as you. In these organizations, you can find support.

5. Get to know the staff in the Multicultural Office as well as professors of different ethnicities.

More often than not, they will have dealt with many of the problems you are facing and will be able to help you through any hard times. Being experienced with these issues, they will be great mentors.