Times up on Cultural Incompetence

TimesUp on Cultural Incompetence

Yesterday a friend of mine sent me the above image of a young African American boy who was wearing a teal-colored hoodie that read “coolest monkey in the jungle.” I cringed at the image and was disheartened by the reminder of the cultural incompetence that plagues so many American corporations. Sadly, I’m not surprised. I mean, after all, many individuals in white dominated corporate America, medicine, K-12 education, academia, the entertainment industry, technology the government….are culturally incompetent. Insults, oversights, stereotypes, judgments and expectations that have defined many populations of color, and particularly African Americans in the United States, manifest themselves in varied contexts and in this case, advertising for the clothing retailer H & M. Adding to the above notion is the glaring fact that there was not one drop of cultural competence present in any human-being who touched that advertising project. The lack of cultural competence, is a symptom of a lack of diversity. Not just racial diversity, but cultural and intellectual diversity as well.

This situation reminds me of a time in 2014 when I picked up my, then, 7 year old daughter from an all girls sports and empowerment camp. She was incensed by the fact that, despite her protests and her communication with the college-aged counselor, that her group had named themselves “The Goofy Gorillas.” Her group had two black girls in it, both who’s voices were dismissed.

That night, I sent the following email to the Director:

“Today after camp, my daughter shared with me that she was in the “Goofy Gorilla” group. She also told me that she spoke with Coach Marissa about the fact that she was not comfortable with being in a group referring to a gorilla b/c of the historical context of black people being called gorillas (my paraphrase of course, but this was her point). She said that Coach Marissa told her that it was okay because they don’t mean it in that context (my paraphrase again). My daughter was not satisfied with this response and says that she pretty much avoided contact with Marissa for the rest of the day. My daughter expressed to me that she wants her group name to change, or that she’d be more comfortable in another group.

African Americans, dating back to slavery (and really back to Africa) have been referred to as monkeys, apes, or gorillas, as a way of identifying them as sub-human, less intelligent, and having the ability to take simple commands. You can see how the phrase “Goofy Gorillas” can be a problem. You can google “African Americans and monkeys/apes/gorillas” (or any variation) and get hundreds of explanations of this unfortunate reference to African Americans. I know that your camp provides a socially and emotionally safe place for girls to express themselves and be themselves, and I believe that it is inappropriate to have a group call the “Goofy Gorillas” for any of the girls at camp, and particularly for the group that has two African American girls in it.

I support my daughter’s decision to change the group name or to switch to another group. I recognize that this is not according to plan, but it is a necessity because of its racially derogatory nature. I also recognize that most of the girls at your camp are “none the wiser” about the reference, but my daughter is, and it’s just not an appropriate name to be associated with. Thank you for your consideration and for ensuring a socially and emotionally secure environment for my daughter and all girls at your camp.

With appreciation,

Brett”

Needless to say, the name was changed the next day, and an invitation for me to teach cultural competence to their staff was extended. Much media attention has been focused on the #MeToo movement and the #TimesUp movement. I get it. After all, I am an African American female in academia. However, the #TimesUp movement applies to SO MANY more populations. Children from ethnic minority groups included. Times Up on the Cultural Incompetence that plagues our classrooms, playgrounds, examination rooms, and boardrooms. Times Up on the weak apologetic press releases. TimesUp on dismissing the voices on our children of color, who we can all take a lesson from. TimesUp on exclusionary discipline practices that mainly impact children of color and those with disabilities. I can go on.

The camp situation with my daughter was resolved, but the larger issue of cultural incompetence in our American institutions remains. Further, what messages are we sending to children by promoting such ideas and imagery? Did anyone stop to think how the boy who's modeling the shirt felt? What about the messaging that other children pick-up when they see such imagery? You see it's not only about changing the cultural competence narrative in corporate America and beyond, but it's also about giving ALL of our children, not just those who will inevitably be targets, the tools that they need to be stewards of cultural competence and up-standers for others.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, comments and experiences. Please comment or send me a private email (both below.)