‘Your difference is your power’: Prerna Chakkingal

“Even with the 7,000 languages in the world, there are more things that unite all of us than separate us,” says Prerna Chakkingal.
She talks about her story — how she lived in Pune till she was six, and then moved to the United States. She talks about how she felt like an outcast there, even though she knew English. She didn’t have the American accent and more times than not, children didn’t understand what she was trying to say. But soon enough, she started embracing everything she could about the American lifestyle.

She then talks about how they moved to Pittsburgh, and she started making many more friends. However, one day, things were different. When she started eating Indian food at lunch, people passed rude remarks.

“It was more than just food. It was my culture. My pride,” she says in the video. “I would wrap my hands around my lunch to cover up whatever I was eating. After that day, I told my mom I didn’t want to bring roti or rice for lunch.”
She continues, “The culture I come from or what race I am are regardless of what my personality and skill sets are. I wished that the children at the lunch table would hold off on these negative thoughts and biases.”
“People with disabilities. Immigrants. The LGBTQ. Black. White. Brown. Asians. Africans. Arabs. Native Americans. Hispanics. We all have one thing in common, our humanity,” she says.
“2020 was a challenging year in general. Whether it was what happened to George Floyd or the hate crimes on Asians. When will this stop? We cannot take something away from someone because it is their culture,” she adds.

She talks about how we are multifaceted beings who don’t belong in just one category. She says the ideas of diversity and classes of inclusivity need to be introduced to children in kindergarten.
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