When in doubt, be a Cat for Halloween!
A quick guide to a fun, unproblematic Halloween
Halloween is the time of year where many of us pay homage to our favorite superhero, celebrity crush, or alter egos. However, in doing so, it’s important to consider the choices made when selecting costumes, jewelry, makeup styles, accessories, or even artifacts that can further contribute to harmful, objectifying and stereotypical depictions of various cultures.
Nine years ago, students from Ohio University started the
“We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” poster campaign to “make revelers think twice before reducing a culture to a caricature”. This campaign quickly spread across social media and stoked conversations over how to make thoughtful and appropriate decisions about costume choices. Since 2011, the work of these students and subsequent dialogue has inspired similar campaigns, but harmful stereotypes have continued to persist, as evidenced by the myriad of
celebrities that have been called out for their costume choices,
social media posts and backlash.
The persistence of these costumes and the insistence by those who wear them is a reflection of the ways that harm perpetuates in society, particularly for people who are marginalized due to the social identity groups they belong to.
We know you’re not going to be heading to a Halloween party this year - because social distancing right?! (wink, wink). As you head into your virtual costume contests or prepare your social distancing trick-or-treat table and candy bowl, we want to make sure you are clear on what to do and what not to do. To ensure that your Halloween is fun and scary, not problematic and harmful, check out our guide below.
Let’s start with the basics:
What is Cultural Appropriation? The unacknowledged or inappropriate, typically superficial adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of a people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. This includes, but is not limited to make up, clothing, hair, and accents.
These things are NEVER ok:
- Black, Red, Yellow or Brown Face: Painting your face or darkening your skin to appear as a different race such as African American, Native American, Asian or Latinx. You may not know this, but this also includes unnecessary and disrespectful changes to our body parts, face, and hair - such as drawing big lips, wearing a “cornrows” wig, hijab, or other religious head coverings, or even stuffing your pants to have a “big butt”. Using or making fun of accents is also harmful and disrespectful.
- Dressing in a fashion that furthers harmful stereotypes or disregards sacred cultural traditions: Dressing as a “Mexican Gardener”, “Black Gangster”, or “Japanese Geisha”. Come on, we know better than this!
- Using makeup to draw sacred or traditional body markings: Many cultures use various forms of body art or body painting as parts of sacred and/or traditional ceremonies. It’s never a good idea to recreate body painting like Mehndi, often used during Hindu weddings, or tribal face painting, common to many ritualistic practices amongst tribes across Africa, as a part of a Halloween costume.
These things ARE ok and creative:
- Dressing as your favorite singer, artist, or historical figure who happens to be of a different race or ethnicity: You can use your clothes, jewelry and attire to embody Mindy, Selena or Beyonce without painting your face. GQ has some recommendations for you…. They even show you how to be “Casual Barack Obama” and “2000 VMAs J Lo”!
- Dressing as a pun or riddle: Put in a little extra thought and dress like a “dad joke” or a “ceiling fan,” or “copycat ”. Here are a few more punny ideas!
- Take on your favorite reality show: Pull out a ball gown and hand out roses, no one will have to guess that you’re the bachelorette!
- When all else fails, be a cat: It’s been a long year! Let’s not exacerbate an already heavy year by being racist, xenophobic, or problematic. The easiest way to avoid cultural appropriation is to grab some cat ears and draw some whiskers! Here is some cat inspo!
Ok, but what about Cultural Appreciation? If your only attempt to “honor a culture” happens during Halloween, it’s not likely “appreciation” of the culture.
What is Cultural Appreciation? Acknowledging and investing in learning of another culture’s customs, practices, ideas, etc; Giving credit/recognition/respect to identifying culture. This means you are investing and learning about cultural customs, histories and practices, long before October 31st. Are you interested in engaging in Cultural Appreciation? Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging can help you with that! Join us for any number of programs that help you learn about others, build cross-cultural understanding, and get connected with the UMBC community.
Remember, cultural appropriation is bigger than just Halloween, see below for more easy reads and videos:
]]>
Halloween is the time of year where many of us pay homage to our favorite superhero, celebrity crush, or alter egos. However, in doing so, it’s important to consider the choices made when...
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/97078/guest@my.umbc.edu/e673decd75aa9e03a9158a15b9ab1bf2/api/pixel
dei
diversityandinclusion
notacostume
umbci3b
The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/themosaic
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/xsmall.png?1755890395
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/original.png?1755890395
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/xxlarge.png?1755890395
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/xlarge.png?1755890395
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/large.png?1755890395
https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/medium.png?1755890395
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/small.png?1755890395
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/xsmall.png?1755890395
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/079/8da8369525d899e6fa49decd5a80b73f/xxsmall.png?1755890395
Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (I3B)
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/xxlarge.jpg?1604088953
https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/xlarge.jpg?1604088953
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/large.jpg?1604088953
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/medium.jpg?1604088953
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/small.jpg?1604088953
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/xsmall.jpg?1604088953
https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/097/078/50fb735294120a3adcd6fe999adce28c/xxsmall.jpg?1604088953
3
0
true
Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:22:33 -0400
Sat, 31 Oct 2020 12:32:48 -0400
GSA Community Liaison Position Available
Apply Now to position within the GSA
GSA Community Liaison
October 28, 2020
University of Maryland,
Baltimore County
Office of Graduate
Student Life
GSA COMMUNITY LIAISON–
GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITION, 20 hours a week – AY 2020 –2021
The Office of Graduate
Student Life (OGSL) is operated by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) to
meet graduate students' needs as they pursue degrees at the master’s and
doctoral levels in all disciplines at UMBC.
The successful candidate
MUST be eligible for Federal Work-Study, determined by the student’s FAFSA (must be a U.S. citizen
or a Permanent Resident).
Duties of the Community
Liaison:
Representation
•Facilitates GSA’s
community engagement efforts and programming.
•Facilitates
communication between GSA, OGSL, graduate students, UMBC University Committees,
and the greater UMBC/Baltimore community.
Graduate
Student Organization Support
•Advises, trains,
and coordinates 26-28 Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs) and approves event
requests while supporting them in event organization, as needed.
•Maintains a record of
expenses of 26-28 Graduate Student Organizations and submits reimbursement
requests on behalf of GSO leaders.
•Completes Journal
Entries as needed.
•Receives approval from
EAA on all student reimbursements and sends documents to accounting for final
payment
OGSL Expectations
•Serves as a
member of the OGSL and assists the OGSL & GSA in its mission of
supporting and promoting graduate students.
•Collegially supports
and assists the GSA Executive Administrative Assistant, the Communications
Manager, and the Travel & Research Grants Coordinator.
•Collaborates with the
OGSL team & GSA Executive Board to implement GSA’s mission.
•Attends weekly OGSL
team meetings, monthly Senate meetings, GSA Social.
Hours, Graduate Student
Week events, the Graduate Experiences, Achievements, and Research Symposium,
and The Graduate School events. Works 20 hours per week, staffing the office.
•Prepares monthly report
for the Executive Councils review and places in Google
Drive/FY21 Reports.
•Maintains and develops
knowledge of the Graduate Student Handbook,
The Graduate School
policies and GSA policies.
•Other duties as
assigned (e.g., assisting with the Graduate Research Conference).
Qualifications &
Requirements
•Must have flexible
availability throughout the week to participate in committee meetings and
GSA/OGSL events.
•Strong interpersonal,
analytical, oral, and written communication skills required; conflict
resolution skills desired.
•Knowledge of Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, and Google applications.
•A commitment to
diversity and team building is essential.
•Bachelor’s degree,
full-time enrollment in a UMBC master’s or doctoral degree program, and be in
good academic standing with The Graduate School.
•May not hold a doctoral
degree or have UMBC adjunct faculty status.
•Ability to work
independently and as a part of a team is essential.
•A positive attitude,
strong time management skills, and a sense of humor are
advantageous.
This is a 20-hour/week
assistantship, including tuition remission for Fall and Spring, stipend for
Fall and Spring AY 2020-2021, and GA health insurance.
Please follow
application instructions carefully. Your application will not be reviewed
unless all of the following materials are submitted electronically:
Electronically submit:
• Your resume in PDF
• Your unofficial UMBC
transcripts if already an enrolled UMBC graduate
student OR official
transcripts of other universities attended if a newly admitted UMBC graduate
student
• Cover letter in PDF
• Contact information
for faculty reference (Name, Title, Address, Email,
Phone) to:
Dawn L. Galindo, E.A.A.
GSA
The Commons 308
dgalindo@umbc.edu
]]>
GSA Community Liaison October 28, 2020 University of Maryland, Baltimore County Office of Graduate Student Life GSA COMMUNITY LIAISON– GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITION, 20 hours...
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/97014/guest@my.umbc.edu/a26e65111f485b3aaf50bb461d54238d/api/pixel
UMBC Graduate Student Association
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/gsa
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/xsmall.png?1688588974
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/original.png?1688588974
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/xxlarge.png?1688588974
https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/xlarge.png?1688588974
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/large.png?1688588974
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/medium.png?1688588974
https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/small.png?1688588974
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/xsmall.png?1688588974
https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/141/6944ed1afb7c0b0557d52a5e61a6d9c9/xxsmall.png?1688588974
UMBC Graduate Student Association
0
2
true
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 13:17:28 -0400
Wed, 28 Oct 2020 13:17:46 -0400
