I’m an Asian (South Korean) student looking to study in the U.S. and I recently started thinking about the racism issues in different states.
As a foreigner, I have a stereotype that southern states are more racist than others due to the Confederate legacy. Please correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve never lived in the U.S. so whatever facts I think I know were the ones I just overheard, but are there certain state(s) that are more hostile to coloured people? What about non-Confederate states? I recently heard that Missouri is the worst state for international students to study in due to its racism issues. The thought that “southern states are more racist” is conflicting with my potential college list, as I’d have to remove UNC Chapel Hill and College of W&M if I were to remove all schools in former Confederate states. But I certainly believe that safety is #1, and I don’t want to end up in places that are hostile to Asian/coloured people, if I can avoid it in the first place.
On the other hand, I believe that the northeast states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, etc) are generally more progressive than others. Is that also true? What about California and Illinois?
Please bust this myth, if there are certain state(s) I should avoid or try to go for, please tell me now than later.
(I hope I didn’t offend anyone, this is what I put together based on things I’ve heard.)
As a fellow student of color, I think you have extremely valid concerns.
I attend a school in the south. Really, you have to do your own research with each school and the city the school is in.
For instance, certain hotspots like New Orleans and Miami will be more welcoming to students of color because they are significantly different from the rest of their states.
Before you remove any school from your list, figure out what city it’s in, any issues it has had with race recently, and talk to students in the individual school forums.
Edit: Some advice I’ve heard recently-there are going to be racist jerks anywhere. My friend goes to school in the northeast and there was an incident where a child was racist toward him. Don’t discount a school you really want to apply to unless it has extreme racial issues, particularly those perpetuated by administration.
The idea that the most racist states are former Confederate states in the South is just unfounded. I think many people mistakenly conflate Republican state governments with racism. Just because a state is “progressive” doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have pockets of entrenched racism. I’m not saying that this article has the most accurate measurement of racism, but it seems to be mostly on point based on other stories I’ve heard.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/28/the-most-racist-places-in-america-according-to-google/
The most racist places, according to this measurement, are in mostly rural areas in the Northeast (Appalachia) and parts of the South.
But in any case, this isn’t super relevant because most top colleges aren’t located in rural, impoverished areas.
As someone who goes to UNC and has friends at various good colleges in the South (W&M, Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Emory, GA Tech, etc.), I’d say you’re extremely unlikely to encounter racist people or feel unsafe.
Missouri might be different because the state is much more rural and impoverished, but I’d say universities in general are pretty accepting places – so I’d be surprised if you had any issues.
California/New York/Massachusetts are undoubtedly more progressive in the political sense, but your views on racism and the South are at least 30 years out of date. You have an extremely distorted view of the South, as it exists today. Within a state, a college, like Duke, is in some sense in its own bubble with its own distinct identity, independent of the state it’s located in. If feasible, I would suggest you visit some of the campuses, as they may be different than your preconceptions.
I agree with much of the above. That said, this may be of some interest: it’s a map of the locations of hate groups in the US:
https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map
Certainly some of the more rural areas outside of the south also have some issues with racism. This isn’t just a southern problem. In general, larger cities tend to have a lower incidence of racism regardless of what state they are in.
Some of the most highly racially segregated cities or metro areas in the US are in non south places like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Baltimore, so racism is not only a south thing, although some aspects like the Confederate stuff may appear more blatant.
There are mixes of people everywhere in the US. And in any corner, you can run into someone prejudiced. But what’s important is the friendly, accepting folks.
Btw, Appalachia is not northeast.
College of W&M is not really in South, but a tourist town with very diversified population. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and California maybe more progressive than others, but the people there are generally too busy to be friendly to a foreign student. On the other hand, the South maybe more conservative, but people there are generally more friendly and have much more time for you if you ask. My D is studying in a South college, and she said that international students tend to stick to their own groups and not interact with other unfamiliar ethnics and cultures. Since the OP is going to spend lots of money to the US to study, going to places less ventured probably has more gain than to lose.
Your stereotype is wrong. You’d be fine at a southern school.
A college town is a college town pretty much everywhere. Your only interaction with locals will be at the cash register.
My experience has been that people in the south are friendlier and more hospitable than those elsewhere in the US.
The most racially and ethnically divisive place I ever lived was New York City. I live in California and don’t find it to be an especially warm and friendly place, either. That doesn’t mean either of the places are unfriendly, but people do tend to be a bit colder and more aloof, and make a bigger deal about their racial and ethnic differences than elsewhere. At least that’s always been the feeling I’ve gotten.
If you find a southern school that you like, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t attend.
The communities are around colleges and universities in the South are by and large liberal or very liberal and I don’t expect you’ll have any problem.
Good luck!
Your more likely problem is that both schools you list are very competitive public schools which must favor applicants from their home state and offer very little financial aid to international applicants
@geekgurl: The Southern Poverty Law Center hate group map referenced in post #4 above is a bit misleading, in my experience & in my opinion. You should be fine at the University of North Carolina & at the College of William & Mary.
Several years ago, the FBI identified the state of Idaho as #1 for having the largest number of supremacist groups.
Racism tends to occur in poor, uneducated areas–not in university communities.
If I were Korean, I would not hesitate to attend a major university in the south like UNC or William and Mary. I probably would hesitate to attend a small college in a remote location.
Also, colored is an outdated term in the US and would be considered offensive by many people. African American or black would be a non-offensive term for that racial group.
This will be a non issue for OP. Please don’t waste any time worrying about whether as a Korean you are going to encounter significant racism.
Honestly I think people are more welcoming and inclusive down south. We were at a place near University of South Carolina and it warmed my heart to see such a diverse crowd sitting at long picnic tables at a bbq just chatting and having fun. Ignore the stereotype. But you should consider visiting the school and town before you commit. That just makes good sense.
Hmm. Interesting retort. I’d advise against a non POC to make such a claim.