Make sure that Asians & Asian Americans are a normal, regular part of your child's world. Parents need to work
toward opening doors that lead to greater understanding of cultures & form relationships with people who may be able to
act as a mentor to the child.
Explore where Asians & Asian Americans congregate in your area. Besides the obvious places (like Chinatowns),
there are usually other places they can be found. One family found that the Botanical Gardens members in their area were
about 40% Asian. Also, you can contact local universities to find out what type of Asian Associations they have...often these
types of organizations are very welcoming to people of many different ethnicities.
Go to ethnic neighborhoods (besides Chinatowns). The more often you mingle in crowds & neighborhoods where you are
the minority - the more comfortable you will get & you will start to notice the differences (subtle and otherwise) between
how different groups of people interact with one another & "outsiders". Your children will also be more comfortable
interacting with people "not like them".
Try to move outside of your comfort zone in terms of socio-economic groups. If you always go to chain restaurants when
eating ethnic foods...try to find more authentic experiences. The bare bones "Americana" diner (the more pick up trucks &
big rigs parked outside -the better the food generally), the mom & pop Mexican restaurant with no set menu, the high end
Japanese sushi restaurant. Not only will this expose your entire family to a greater understanding of what different cultures
serve as food (not just the Americanized version)...you & your children will also learn what different cultures regard
as acceptable table manners. You may have to do some research, you may make a fool or yourself occasionally - but we all do
that anyways (most times without even trying).
Read books, articles, etc, written by Asian Americans about Asian American culture in America. There are several magazines
written by & for Asian Americans. You have to look for them, they will not be at the grocery store check-out, they
have to be something you want to discover...because Asians & Asian Americans comprised less that 8% of the total population. You
may have to order a subscription online. These magazines can be very illuminating in understanding the issues & topics
of interest to Asian Americans & learning more about the Asian American racial identity.
Make sure that your children see people of different ethnicities in positions of power & authority. No one should
have the picture of a Chinese restaurant owner or Korean dry cleaner as the "picture of Asians in America". Some
people make a special effort for their pediatrician and dentist to be a person of color (Pakistani, African, Hispanic). If
you work in a diverse setting, take your child to work with you. Don't let your child's perception be that POC are only in
service positions in their world.
Who cuts your hair? Try to find a Chinese or Chinese American babysitter/private tutor for your child.
See if there are Asian Associations in your general vicinity that offer mentor programs.
Work with your FCC to have more activities that interact directly with Asian communities, rather than parallel to
those communities.
Culture camps and Heritage Tours.
If you live in a very non-diverse area, make it a priority to travel/visit more diverse areas which offer cultural experiences
within not only your child's birth heritage, but others as well.
Don't just go out to restaurants to eat "ethnic" foods. Buy cookbooks, learn to cook meals & make that part of what
you teach your child. Being able to make jiao zi (or whatever food you choose) will make your child more part of their culture
of birth. Just eating the food will not.
Explore popular music, traditional music, etc...play it in your home as well as the music that you listen to. See if your
cable company offers Chinese TV stations.