Voices from the Margin...a Personal Reflection

When I first came here to Candler from Korea, I was curious why people who I didn’t know said “Hi” to me. So, several times I asked them, “Have we met before?” It was a cultural difference that I was unaware of. Then, I learned the culture and began to practice “saying hi.” When I say hi with eye contact, I find three types of reaction about that. First, there are people who willingly reply “hi. How are you?” Second, people who reluctantly say this, “h- hi.” Thirdly, people who just pass by me pretending not to notice and avoiding my eyes. I know this experience is not only mine. But, for me the experience was also an encounter with the culture of accepting, discomfort, and rejecting.

When I was in Korea, I struggled with visible and invisible sexism against women. However, here I struggle with more complex and heavier oppressions: sexual, racial, ethnic, financial, linguistic, international. I cannot find my story even in racial issues. Discussion of racism in America only deals with issues between black and white. My complex situation seems like “out of the frying pan and into the fire.” But, a different thing is whether the way of expressing the oppression is visible, blatant and outspoken or invisible, clever and skillful. Sometimes I feel the blatant expression, but I don’t often hear plainly sexist words in the U. S. like I did in Korea. In terms of that, I feel more comfortable and free but, simultaneously I feel more a complex and heavier, but invisible oppressive atmosphere. I am living as a minority in this community. It is hard but a meaningful experience for me. I am living as a marginalized person as well in this community. It is challenging me to ask who I am, where I am, what I do, and what I have to do.

One day, I asked staff person at Candler: “What is the purpose that Candler picks the international students out? As an international student, I would like to know my role and ways to contribute.” The person said, “No, you don’t need to make an effort to contribute. Your being yourself is very meaningful and helpful for this community.” On one hand, I was grateful that this community was celebrating my being myself in it. On the other hand, my different skin color, my different appearance, my different language, and my different nationality seemed to be more important than my personality and my voice in this community.

According to Candler’s M.Div. Student Profile, there are 10 percent of international students, 28 percent of minority, and 49 percent of women. The whole Emory community has 43 percent of students of color including Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans and so on. What does the diversity of Candler mean? Is it only to raise the percentage of minority and students of color, or is it to truly share various voices from the margins? What do you think?

Today's post was written by Mirhang Baek, a 3rd year M.Div student.