I was talking to a good friend, a man of color, a leader in the field of diversity, intercultural competence, engagement and inclusion. He told a moving story of being inspired as a child by his dad, who jumped to enlist in the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but then faced spitting in…
DetailsMy son enjoyed watching this “multicultural” advertisement for the msi notebook x-series when this post first published in 2009. Out of the blue today he asked to see it again, by name, apparently not because he suddenly took an interest in multicultural marketing, but he remembered there was something about butts (note to self for…
DetailsDave Barry was always able to just take vacation and run old columns. For me, I’m entering a new world that is based in economic disparity and developmental disabilities–absolutely at the top of the engagement and inclusion/social exclusion list, but new territory that hasn’t quite gelled. So in the meantime, I’m periodically re-running posts that…
DetailsI had three different signs I’m getting older this week. 1. Got helped walking across the ice. Not because someone was flirting and wanted to hold my hand, but because they really thought I was going to fall; 2. I fell asleep at 8:30 last night. After one glass of wine; and 3. I don’t…
Details5-years-old seems really young to explain to a child about racism, prejudice, inclusion and exclusion. Yet we know that even at that tender age our kids are already barraged by images and messages on TV and media and have possibly already experienced being left out or made fun of for being different themselves. Just ask…
DetailsWhen I first saw the Duncan Hines Hip Hop Cup Cake ad last month, I first wondered why advertisers would make food geared to kids so creepy (a la the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cannibal ads); and that the icing would never work…the microwave would make it too gooey or too hot to be practical. As…
DetailsThere was a story on NPR last month that showed that despite sharing the same genes, siblings can be completely foreign to each other from a personality perspective. Not only do they share the same culture, they come from the same gosh darn family….and still sometimes can’t get along. You’d think applying some of the…
DetailsAs I watched the buff and scantily clad Brad Pitt and Eric Banna fight each other in the movie Troy the other day, I found my mind wandering to the Chicago based “Babes with Blades,” self described as “a company of women wielding weapons.” At first I thought, “Oy, I’m old that this is what…
DetailsThe Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas is proud to present a 10 day exchange with Sao Paulo-based African Dance and Drumming performance artist Fanta Konate’s cultural mission to Chicago December 1-10. Fanta will reach out to 1000’s in the Chicago area with dance and rhythm workshops showcasing Guinean influence on Brazilian music,…
DetailsBrazilian-Guinean singer and dancer Fanta Konate will bring her African Sensory Experience to Chicago from December 1 to 10, 2010 as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by The Illinois-Sao Paulo Chapter of Partners of the Americas. A native of Sao Paulo Brazil, Fanta’s public performances of music and dance in schools, with dance…
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