Culture Is Not My Costume by Ellise A. Smith, M.S.Ed
As the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Division of Student Affairs at a Midwest, urban, research institution I frequently engage in difficult conversations around race, gender, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, size, and more. Most of these discussions are rooted in a lack of understanding about identities and the related experiences. As a doctoral student, I face similar challenges as I wrestle with research, articles, and thought processes related to culture. Oftentimes, most individuals are ‘surprised’ when corrected about their behaviors related to race, gender, culture, etc. as they thought what they did was harmless, or they state they had no intention to offend. However, it is my responsibility as a champion for creating fair and just societies to center my identities as a fat, Black, female (to name a few) to create equity. Therefore, my work does not conclude at the end-of-the-day and oftentimes continues outside of my 9-5 career. There are