Studying in Spokane+Diversity (Seattle: wedding, schools, university)

[Student26]

Hello!
I am hoping the helpful people on these forums can shed more information to help me make my decision!

Background: I am Asian-Indian, married and living with husband in Seattle, WA. Recently moved from Dallas TX (hometown) after wedding. Applied to couple of schools (mainly in NW) for MBA. Got accepted into all that I applied to, one was Gonzaga. Went to Spokane for the first time over the weekend, to see the place and tour the campus.

Situation: We went out to Mizuna (lunch), Scratch (dinner) and Luna (brunch) before driving back to SEA. People were really staring at us while we walked around (car parked two blocks away), or showed up at the restaurants. One point in case: rather rudely at Scratch, the old Caucasian couple next to us looked pointedly while getting up from their table after their dinner was over. If I end up choosing the school, I would move and live alone (roommates not an option since we plan to visit each other as often as we can, mostly him). Both of us were really uncomfortable and surprised at the level of the stares and left wondering the level of racism or diversity/minority issues. I am brown skinned & Hindu but that doesn't make a difference to someone who maybe already thinks I am a terrorist or something like that. Ok I know, a very harsh judgement call but after eight hours in the city, we saw an African-American young man walking by and we literally wanted to hug him.

Am I being too sensitive about this? Is it just because I am not used to small towns? Is this how the other side of America is? I ask because I have little information on Spokane in general but I never experienced this in my 15 years of living in the US and I've lived in MI, AZ, OR, TX (and now WA).

Regards,
S

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Student26

Hello!
I am hoping the helpful people on these forums can shed more information to help me make my decision!

Background: I am Asian-Indian, married and living with husband in Seattle, WA. Recently moved from Dallas TX (hometown) after wedding. Applied to couple of schools (mainly in NW) for MBA. Got accepted into all that I applied to, one was Gonzaga. Went to Spokane for the first time over the weekend, to see the place and tour the campus.

Situation: We went out to Mizuna (lunch), Scratch (dinner) and Luna (brunch) before driving back to SEA. People were really staring at us while we walked around (car parked two blocks away), or showed up at the restaurants. One point in case: rather rudely at Scratch, the old Caucasian couple next to us looked pointedly while getting up from their table after their dinner was over. If I end up choosing the school, I would move and live alone (roommates not an option since we plan to visit each other as often as we can, mostly him). Both of us were really uncomfortable and surprised at the level of the stares and left wondering the level of racism or diversity/minority issues. I am brown skinned & Hindu but that doesn't make a difference to someone who maybe already thinks I am a terrorist or something like that. Ok I know, a very harsh judgement call but after eight hours in the city, we saw an African-American young man walking by and we literally wanted to hug him.

Am I being too sensitive about this? Is it just because I am not used to small towns? Is this how the other side of America is? I ask because I have little information on Spokane in general but I never experienced this in my 15 years of living in the US and I've lived in MI, AZ, OR, TX (and now WA).

Regards,
S

You might be being too sensitive about this. I'm dark-haired, tan skinned and of partial Mexican descent, and have a Spanish surname. I never had a single issue (stare, comment, rudeness, etc) in the time I lived in Spokane, and can say with all honesty that I've had issues everywhere else I've lived. I came away from Spokane thinking it to be a very not-racist place.

Spokane is not a small town, it is a city, just not a megatropolis like Dallas or Seattle. You might have gone into Spokane with preconceived notions, perhaps based on the area's history. Why didn't you get in that older couple's face who apparently looked at you pointedly? Asking them what their problem was might have answered your question.

That's not "how the other side of America is". Spokane is America just as Dallas is. Perhaps there was another reason that couple was looking at you, and if it was them being critical of your perceived background, let it be their problem -- they are the ones who are ignorant in that situation, not you.

I know the feeling you are experiencing, believe me. I just never experienced it in Spokane. I'm going to assume (let me know if I'm wrong) that you likely lived in/near Detroit, Phoenix and Portland in addition to Dallas and Seattle. All BIG cities. Give the non-big city parts of the USA a chance, perhaps you can educate the few idiots out there on what the difference is between an Asian-Indian, and a terrorist is. Very sadly, there are people out there that don't know the difference.

Live your life how you see fit, and don't worry about what others might be thinking. Life's too short to give any thought and time to racists.

Search my other posts on Spokane, I've touched on this subject before. The lack of racism/pretentiousness (IMO) is one of the reasons I like Spokane so much and want to return.

[Student26]

Thanks, David.

Yes, our family did live in suburban regions of all the major cities you mentioned. As far as preconceived notions, perhaps a bit because as we drove into town, we didn't see any other minority. I have read through the other posts on the Spokane forum, I posted this because it dealt with Asian-Indian (as opposed to Asian American etc descent), and it was just a little scary to be brown for awhile.

I know that once I make friends in a new place anywhere, it makes the place more comfortable and familiar for me.

Thanks for quelling my fears because Gonzaga is offering an excellent scholarship and the university/education is really affordable for us right now.

Cheers,
S

[skinem]

Maybe a little sensitive. David gave a great answer. There are many "mixed race" marriages and partnerships in Spokane. It wasn't a big deal, or even a noticed thing when I was a kid there 40 plus years ago...not to say there aren't idiots in Spokane, just like there are any where.

But, I would be surprised if this was an issue.

[Spokanejobseeker]

Spokane is 99.999999% Caucasian. Their staring was probably more like that of an impolite child that doesn't know any better and seeing something for the first time than the likelihood that they are a hardline member of some hate group. I'm from the southeastern United States and I am very comfortable and experienced living in places where I am the minority in certain areas. I think if you took your average local Spokie that's lived here their entire life and dropped them in downtown Louisville their reaction would probably be the similar to the couple sitting next to you. They would probably stand on a sidewalk in shock and awe over seeing that many African Americans at once as they hardly see any here on a day to basis. A lot of this probably has to do with how isolated Spokane is. The majority of the population here in Washington state live on the coast along the I-5 corridor. While Seattle is a melting pot of people Spokane is 4.5 hours away from that. The northwest isn't like other parts o the country back east where you have town after town, but instead you have large areas where you hardly have anyone living. I would say culutrally Spokane has a lot more in common with cities in Montana than it does Seattle having lived over there for two years myself.

Spokane isn't much a racist town as it is a , "Oh my god a brown person!" town. While it might make you feel uncomfortable at times their reaction is more like they're seeing you for the first time in their lives other than on tv. They're not thinking you're their to blow something up or steal something.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Spokanejobseeker

Spokane is 99.999999% Caucasian.

For the record, Spokane is 87.9% white, and 0.1% Asian Indian.

[Spokanejobseeker]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

For the record, Spokane is 87.9% white, and 0.1% Asian Indian.

But still undisputed that diverse, Spokane is not.

[Swigchow]

Originally Posted by Student26

Situation: We went out to Mizuna (lunch), Scratch (dinner) and Luna (brunch) before driving back to SEA. People were really staring at us while we walked around (car parked two blocks away), or showed up at the restaurants. One point in case: rather rudely at Scratch, the old Caucasian couple next to us looked pointedly while getting up from their table after their dinner was over.
S

That is unfortunate. Those three restaurants are actually some of the more enlightened eateries in Spokane. Their patrons tend to be more progressive with many of them relatively new to Spokane from places like Seattle. Spokane is somewhat backwards but much more open than it was only a decade ago.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Spokanejobseeker

But still undisputed that diverse, Spokane is not.

Agreed. Which is fine. Diversity is overrated.