Magic City Post: Building An Intercultural Society

Well friends, check out my latest article on Building an Intercultural Society in the Magic City Post. I share thoughts about internalized oppression and how we as southerners have to take pride in our city despite our past. Check it out. It was also picked up by a national diversity blog--Diversity News Online.

Can Translation Blunders Make or Break You?

While on her African tour, Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton was asked about her husband's opinion regarding matters of state--or so she thought. It ends up, the student was asking about President Obama's opinion not former President Clinton's. A translation blunder set off Sec. Clinton. I don't know the nature of the error. However, when considering using a third party in intercultural relations, the translator can make or break you.

When I provide cultural competence consulting to organizations, the issue of using a translator always comes up. Out of desperation, people often grab friends, people off of the street or even bi-lingual employees. I am not suggesting that you not hire bi-lingual employees. For certain issues, a basic common understanding of a language is fine. However, for official business, health or international issues it is really important to use certified translators. A certified translator possesses a number of competencies beyond speaking two or more languages.

See Lost in Translation: She, Not Bill, is the Secretary of State.

African American Professional Women and Hairstyles

African American women struggle to fit into Corporate America on a number of levels. Do hairstyles that reflect their culture hinder them from being successful? Check out Lessons from an 80's Alumna.

Finding identity in the Namesake

I really love the movie, the Namesake starring Kal Penn. It is long, but it really helps one understand the experience of transnational young men and women. Transnationals are those individuals who live among two cultures, sometimes caught between them. Their ancestry might be in one part of the world, but they live in another. Their parents might represent their country of origin, but the children are a blend of the two.

Sometimes these individuals are referred to as cultural marginals and third culture kids. They sometimes struggle with finding a balance between the culture at home and the culture at work or school. The Namesake captures the complexity of living among two worlds.

For more information check out the webinar Cultural Marketing and Belong or Bust: Third Culture Kids.

Tandoori Chicken and a Lassi at Kohinoor

I really enjoyed my dinner last night. Not a lot of people know about Kohinoor across from the Mellow Mushroom on 20th Street South. I love the food. I feel like I am cheating on Taj India since I spent most of my Indian food eating life at their buffet.

I started eating Indian food at Golden India when it was on West Valley Avenue. It relocated to Five Points South below Cosmos Pizza for awhile, but it went out of business. On my first visit, they had lady fingers or bendhi masala. Still unsure what I am talking about? Have you heard of okra? It is okra with stewed tomatoes, onions and wonderful spices. I once read that many Indian dishes have about 22 spices in them. I even slipped the dish into a family dinner with my relatives that don't eat Indian food. They recognized how flavorful it was, but I didn't tell them it was Indian food until well after the meal.

I am not sure when I started going to Taj. I think that Saffron was my second Indian restaurant in Birmingham. It was located near what used to be Ski Lodge I on West Valley. For a short time, I also used to go to a place that opened on 150. Can anyone remember the name of it?

If you aren't sure what to order, I always recommend starting with Tandoori chicken. I LOVE to get a mango lassi, which is a yogurt drink, to wash down the chicken. In most places in town, rice comes with the meal. If the restaurant has the option, order a basket of assorted naan.

Not sure where to go? Check out this listing of Indian restaurants http://www.yellowpages.com/Birmingham-AL/Indian-Restaurants.

Identity: How Black Are You?

(The following post was written for a friend's web publication in January 2009, but it was never published. Hopefully you will find it to still be a relevant issue.)

Are you Black Enough?

In the face of the election of the first black president, there have been several questions about the definition of black and whether he is black enough. In a presentation by Frontline regarding Barack Obama, elder black community leaders did not feel that President Obama—then a state Senator Obama had paid his dues. They felt he was not a deserving candidate for Congress in comparison to a former Black Panther who was rooted in the community.

So what does one mean by the term “black?” I use black and African American interchangeably in this post. Does it refer to the color of one’s skin or the group with which one affiliates or is it the color of the people from which one descended? Education, form of dress, political affiliations, and other ways of life are often evaluated to determine one’s level of blackness. In an attempt to address these questions, William Cross, a scholar in psychology offers a continuum of identity by which African Americans see themselves in his book, Shades of Black (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991).

Cross links race and identity by offering a continuum of “blackness” according to levels of race salience. Race salience is not related to skin complexion, but the level one affiliates with a particular group. The more race salience one has, the more one identifies racially and culturally with the black community. The less one has, the less one identifies with the community. So a nationalist would have the greatest amount of race salience and someone who assimilates into the dominant culture has the lowest level. A nationalist might fight for an independent homeland for blacks or identifies with the entire African Diaspora in the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Canada... That person may wear a form of dress that is Afro-centric and not linked to white society. The Black Power Movement is associated with nationalists. We often see the Angela Davis afro as a symbol of Afro-centrism. Malcolm X is also a symbol of nationalism.

In contrast, the assimilator might believe that he is only black in terms of complexion or race, but does not identify with the community as a whole. He might not associate with anyone within his community. His politics often seems counter to the black mainstream. Terms such as Oreo or Uncle Tom might be bestowed upon this person. Although a fictional character, Sgt. Waters from A Soldier’s Story is one that I ask students to analyze. However, Justice Clarence Thomas is frequently associated with this identity.

Those individuals in the middle of the continuum are often bi-racial or maintain a multicultural outlook. Individuals who are bi-racial in this context have one parent who is black and the other non-black. A person with this identity might identify strongly with both parents, not denying either such as Tiger Woods. Others in the middle identify with multiple groups, but there is no doubt that black as their dominant identity. Their identity may or may not be related to parentage, but maybe just an outlook on life. El Hajj Malik Shabazz, who is usually associated with nationalism, embraced all Muslims even those who were not black, after going to Mecca for Hajj.

In summary, according to Cross, the concept of race is very complex. There are levels or degrees to which one affiliates with race. Those with mid to low levels of race salience are often viewed as “not black” or not black enough by those with higher levels of race salience, but he believes that they are not completely denying their race, but the level to which they affiliate may differ than their nationalist counterparts.

But, is skin color the only thing that links people together? When I was growing up, we always claimed Teena Marie who is white because she had soul. However, we wanted to disassociate ourselves from Clarence Thomas because his views did not represent the African American mainstream. So what links people together outside of race?

Everyone has a culture, Part 2

In part 1 we discussed the fact that many Americans don’t believe that culture is relevant. Why does this matter? As interculturalists we believe that culture influences just about every aspect of our lives. If one is part of the majority, culture may be taken for granted and just seen as the way things are for everyone. Those who are not in the majority frequently negotiating between their cultural backgrounds and that of the dominant cultural. This post will outline three approaches to working with individuals who believe they are "cultureless".

For many third generation Americans, the concept of culture is somewhat foreign. Their grandparents may have married people of different cultures so what they perceive as culture has become irrelevant. So how do you discuss culture with individuals who perceive themselves as not having one? I take three approaches to this phenomenon: 1) Gardenswartz and Rowe's four layers activity. 2) Cultural icebreaker. 3) Try to connect people by showing commonalities, but not ignoring differences.

Gardenswartz and Rowe's four layers of diversity highlights personality, internal, external, and organizational layers of culture. Personality is how we interact in the world. The internal layer includes characteristics that we usually don't change such as gender or race. The external layer consists of characteristics that could be changed such as geographic location. By helping individuals decide what elements of diversity are dominant in their lives, they are defining aspects of culture that are important to them. So my intern included religion as one of the dominant elements of diversity in her life (refer to part 1 of this article). It is imperative that this exercise take place prior to introducing cultural norms and values. I like to have at least two hours for the four layers.

The cultural ice breaker includes a list of questions regarding how one engages in cultural activities. It is a checklist that is based upon culture general norms and values, but it doesn't ask questions about culture directly. It is a way of telling them, "Hey, you practice culture everyday. You just don't think about it." One question includes, Can you think of an annual family tradition from your childhood or one you practice with your family today? Answers range from everyone gathering for Christmas to tailgating at the Iron Bowl. No one said it had to be an ancient tradition passed down from one's ancestors, just a tradition. The ice breaker can be completed within an hour. It is part of a shorter workshop or may just be a standalone activity. For one group that I belonged to, we started each of our meetings with one of the questions.

I am definitely a believer in cultural awareness months, but I think it is important to show intersections of culture as well. If introducing a cultural concept, I may have a theme such as the harvest. I might ask students, what activities or traditions are practiced in the fall? Not only would I include Kwanzaa and Thanksgiving, I would seek information about a number of local observances. The Alabama Bureau of Tourism is ripe for information. Birmingham is a young city in comparison to most cities in Alabama so I usually have to go to some of the smaller cities to really get a southern culture discussion going. We may discuss the National Peanut Festival in Dothan or other fall festivals. The same can be done for each of the four seasons. There are gazillion annual observances across the state. As students research the origins of these festivals and practices surrounding them, we could start to help them identify their cultural roots. See the UA Crossroads Community Center’s newsletter Intersections.

Please share some of your family traditions.

Everyone has a culture

Doesn’t everyone have a culture? If we share the same citizenship, does it mean that we are all the same? This issue was particularly poignant while I was participating in a local activity where everyone was asked to share something from their cultural background. The students of Asian, African, Latin American and Jewish descent had no problem coming up with a presentation. Some were first generation Americans, others were third or more. At that time I don't think anyone identified as Native American though most southerners, black and white, have Native American ancestry.

The white students began to feel left out. They felt they didn't have a culture. The director of the program at the time was highly skilled at facilitating this issue. As the program evolved, one of the advisors developed the category “plain ol' American.” As part of her presentation, she usually shared U.S. American cultural symbols such as baseball and apple pie. The more I encountered people who were unsure of their cultural identity the more I wanted to learn about how people perceived themselves. It has become a significant part of my journey as an interculturalist.

Ten years later when I was developing a course, this issue resurfaced. Before launching a course or adding a new activity to an existing course, I usually put together a focus group. We were researching activities to stimulate cultural conversation. My intern, who is white, couldn't tell me her ethnicity. She identified more as a Catholic. This became particularly relevant to her when she moved from a place with a large Catholic population to a Baptist university in a Baptist town. We concluded that our concept of identity had to be more inclusive.

I attended a Catholic high school, where most of the students were white. However, they knew their Irish, Italian, or Greek roots (See Diverse Birmingham). Even if there was intermarriage in their backgrounds, they knew the cultural roots of each side of their families. Looking back, many of them were children of recent immigrants and there may have been grandparents who kept the family traditions alive. So how would I approach this issue with people who don’t recognize culture?

In part 2, I will share how I work with people to help them develop a cultural identity.

Latino or Hispanic?

Several years ago, Latino and Hispanic organizations held a conference to discuss the spectrum of individuals moving into the Birmingham area that fit the definition of Latino or Hispanic. They had moved to Alabama from Latin American countries and from different parts of the U.S. Some were native Spanish speakers, some spoke indigenous languages, others spoke English and some spoke several languages. The opinions about the terms were as diverse as the people at the conference. An article in the Boston Globe captures the debate about the terms. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/01/25/latino_hispanic_which_is_it/.

Because a number of people work in situations where they have to give statistics, they need to know what term to use. I try to encourage them to use the terms that the federal government requires for statistical purposes, but they should understand that individuals and groups of individuals do not necessarily agree with these terms. If at all possible, take the time to build a relationship and understand what an individual prefers to be called which is probably just his or her name. On the other hand, understand that sometimes people live by cultural norms and similarities that extend beyond the individual. At times they may be linked to a group. This does not mean that we should stereotype people or hold them to fixed concepts, but understand and value the uniqueness that they bring into our lives and workplaces.