Diversity and Inclusion Council Presents Quill Phillips and Mike Roderique from The Community College of Aurora

Presentation: Understanding Cultural Appropriation in the Workplace
 
Have you ever wondered if adopting someone else’s culture is offensive? Have you been challenged when someone brought the offense to your attention? In this workshop, the presenters will facilitate a dialogue and learning opportunities surrounding the topic of cultural appropriation in the workplace. This workshop will engage participants in an understanding of the topic as well as provide strategies to navigate those sticky situations when addressing colleagues who may be involved in cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation has been defined as such: the taking from a culture that is not one’s own- of intellectual property, cultural expressions or artifacts, history and ways of knowledge (Ziff & Rao, 1997); any instance which means commonly associated with and/or perceived as belonging to another are used to further one’s own ends (Shugart, 1997); aspects of marginalized/colonized cultures that are taken and used by a dominant/colonizing culture in such a way to serve the interests of the dominant.
 
Discussion Objectives:

• Explore the concept of cultural appropriation
• Identify the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation
• Understand the impact of cultural appropriation on employees in the workplace
• Identify strategies to avoid cultural appropriation