Room to Grow: Supporting Conversations About Race in the United States

A series of racially motivated acts of violence came to head with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020. Around the same time, hate crimes targeting Asians and Asian Americans in several U.S. cities increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Months of outrage and protest soon followed, strengthening American interest in social justice, Black Lives Matter, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

For Yuriko Sato, a student in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s (UWM) Global Higher Education graduate program, these events were perplexing at first. As a citizen of Japan, Sato was unaccustomed to dialogues about race. Coming from a nation where she is part of the majority “race,” she had no personal experience with discrimination or stigmatization. But with the issue of racial injustice dominating the media, Sato became more curious.

“When international students come here, we’re not blank slates. We must learn about race in a different way. ... I'm still learning.” —Yuriko Sato

“I talked to my American colleagues about this subject because I wanted to learn more,” says Sato, who enrolled at UWM in the fall of 2019 and is now a PhD candidate. “I couldn’t understand why people were so mad because I didn’t know the [historical] background. When international students come here, we’re not blank slates. We must learn about race in a different way. In Japan it’s like everyone's equal because the majority are Japanese. So I wanted to learn about the racial history in America—and I'm still learning.” She adds that Japan also has racism and discrimination, but it is a different discourse on race, ethnicity, and discrimination than exists in the United States. 

Barriers to Difficult Conversations

Race, racism, social justice, and related topics and ideas are an increasingly large part of the cultural conversation in the United States, especially on college campuses. The concept of DEI extends beyond racial diversity to matters such as gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and more. International students often come to U.S. campuses from countries where these ideas are not openly discussed. 

ISSS offices are specially positioned to foster conversations with and educate international students about DEI topics—particularly racism, which has deep roots in U.S. history.

For some international students, the concept of racial identity is unfamiliar, and many lack understanding about U.S. racial history and events. Sato and her colleague, Joe Anderson, explored this topic through the lens of student populations from China, Japan, and South Korea—countries with somewhat homogenous cultures and populations of citizens who are part of a majority “race, sharing a common culture, language, and history. Soto and Anderson identified common barriers that keep students from East Asia from engaging in dialogues about race: 

• They consider U.S. racial issues irrelevant to their education.
• They don’t want to get involved in matters they perceive as political.
• Their host institutions lack meaningful programs that provide foundational instruction in U.S. racial topics.
• They have other personal interests and lack time to get involved.

Though this research highlights the experiences of students from East Asia, many of the results can apply across cultures. Sato and Anderson—who presented their findings in a poster, “Facilitating Challenging Conversations on Race with East Asian International Students,” at NAFSA’s 2021 Annual Conference & Expo—concluded that “Understanding not only these barriers, but also students’ experiences with race in the U.S. and the relevance of their social identities, is important for cultivating them as agents of positive change.”

How to Foster Conversations About Race, Identity, and Culture

Making more deliberate efforts to create dialogue about racism, diversity, identity, and other U.S. cultural issues could have a profound impact in helping international students acclimate to life in the United States. These conversations can help develop all students on campus, international or domestic, to become globally minded citizens. But first, says Sharece Bunn, assistant director of international student advising at the University of Washington, start with the international office staff. 

“If you want to get involved and have those discussions, it’s important to make sure that you're having those conversations within your team, among your colleagues, and with your boss,” she says. “Then, [weave] those conversations into your advising and your programming with the students,” she says.

Here are some ways ISSS offices can foster such conversations: 

Specialized Programming

At Emerson College, discussions about diversity begin with international students during pre-orientation on campus—and continues through orientation for all new students. These conversations include racial identity, as well as gender and sexual identity and cultural values.

The pre-orientation session, called Candid Conversations, dives into some of the important topics students can expect to face during their time at Emerson. During general orientation, which includes all new incoming students, the college partnered with Honesty Hour, an organization devoted to increasing global awareness about DEI issues, to deliver a discussion-based curriculum. 

“We talk about how they as international students will experience the conversations differently [from other students] and encourage them to have a seat at the table and to be active in the conversation.” —Andrea Popa

“We talk about how they as international students will experience the conversations differently [from other students] and encourage them to have a seat at the table and to be active in the conversation,” says Andrea Popa, Emerson’s director of international student affairs, housed in the Office of Internationalization & Equity. “We also set ground rules with all incoming students about the cultural values we have with regard to diversity, acceptance, and belonging.”

Emerson also sponsors an annual campuswide “Teach-In” focused on issues such as racism, social justice, equity, and inclusion. This year’s event, “Teaching Truthfully about Race and Racism within the Academy,” covers the impact of deeply rooted and widespread racism in the United States and how it shapes the experiences of students and faculty in higher education. The sessions provide important historical background and perspectives for international students.

“It’s important to make sure international students feel represented in that conversation,” says Popa.

Targeted Curriculum

Outside of their ISSS offices, institutions can introduce international students to DEI issues through coursework. Students enrolled in UWM’s Global Higher Education graduate program, for example, are required to take “Mobility and Inclusion in International Higher Education.” This class combines DEI principles and international education concepts, giving students the chance to explore international students’ experience with racism and to reflect on their own racial identities.

“This is a huge gap” in international education, says Weijia Li, director of UWM’s Global Higher Education master’s degree program and clinical professor of international higher education leadership. “[Developing a single course focusing on DEI and international education] has been a significant curricular change for our program. [It allows students to] discuss how should higher ed institutions, especially ISSS offices, have conversations with international students about [important topics such as] the Black Lives Matter movement and their own racial identities.”

Cross-Campus Collaborations

ISSS offices can team up with partners across campus to create a welcoming environment where all students feel free to ask questions and share concerns about DEI and other cultural issues. Popa’s office, for example, functions under Emerson’s Office of Internationalization and Diversity, working closely with the college’s DEI leadership to ensure diversity training among faculty and curriculum review that supports global programming. Her team is committed to helping international students connect with areas on campus, such as student affairs and career advising, to ensure a well-rounded college experience.

“In addition to providing the immigration support that's standard for international offices, we also are directly involved in providing academic support for students enrolled in the English Language Learning program,” Popa says.  “That changes how our office is viewed. Breaking down barriers is significant for ensuring that students have a successful experience in the United States.” 

Leadership Development

Another way to engage international students in conversations—and actions—related to DEI topics is to encourage student participation in co-curricular activities on campus. At Emerson, numerous international students have participated in student government, giving them the chance to shape campus culture and create opportunities for students from underrepresented populations. The current student government association president is an international student from Nepal. 

“This high-level leadership on the student side has been critical to centering international student identity in significant student-led advocacy, including advocating for fee waivers of internship course tuition and other equity initiatives,” Popa says. 

“Start with the Individual”

 As higher education wrestles with its own history of racism, international education professionals have an opportunity to prompt meaningful discussions on campus to enrich the academic experience for both domestic and international students.

“These challenging conversations start with the individual,” says Bunn. “It’s really about challenging wherever you are with your knowledge and understanding of DEI. All of us have room to grow.”  •