In an unusual cultural exchange, 14 members of three fraternities at The Ohio State University (OSU) traveled to China last month, where they choreographed a step show for Chinese students as part of a cross-cultural awareness program funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State.
Members of the Greek organizations Sigma Lambda Beta, Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma traveled to Beijing, Wuhan, Changsha and Shanghai to experience culture in the world’s most populated country.
For many of these African-American males, it was their first time outside the country.
“As an African-American male, my experience in China was very eye opening,” says Kavian J. Anderson, a senior majoring in biological engineering. “While in China, I did not feel like I was an outsider like I do here in America. I did not feel as though I was stereotyped or preconceived as a criminal, thug or troublemaker. Here in America, I understand that I have to be aware of my surroundings when strolling around campus, especially at night. It’s not for my own safety, but rather to ease the tensions and sense of danger of others that may share the sidewalks.
“When walking in stores in China, I did not feel as though the employees thought that I would steal anything. All in all, there is a general sense of fear that is equated with African-Americans here in America. That fear does not exist in China.”
Dr. Robert Eckhart, who is executive director of the Combined ESL Programs in the Department of Teaching and Learning at OSU, wrote the grant and collaborated with the university’s Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at OSU to administer the exchange program.
“Providing international opportunities like this one, designed to build global competencies, is a key component to develop all students, in order to produce graduates who will achieve up to their potential,” says Eckhart. “From what the students on this trip told us, underrepresented students, often from cultural minority groups in the U.S., have less difficulty being in the cultural minority in a place like China, because they have learned how to function in a cultural minority their entire lives.”
