A MOSAIC OF CULTURES: SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
DO THE BRANDS YOU LOVE REPRESENT YOU?
TOOLS FOR PARENTS RAISING MIXED-RACE KIDS
SPIRITUAL SPACES: VISITING THE IREICHŌ
BECAUSE EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL LIKE THEY MATTER
If you are multicultural, multiethnic, mixed-race and geographically mobile (like immigrants, refugees and Third Culture Kids (TCKs))
African American? Afro latin? Black? Latin? What ARE you exactly?
Doni and Dr. Rhonda dive deeply this episode — into perceptions, considerations and discussions about what is "Blackness," why, how and to whom does it apply? it's a can't miss conversation that is sure to get you thinking!
— O. Daste via Facebook, regarding "Negra Como Soy" podcast.
I'm thrilled that Culturs magazine picked up Enhanced for their latest post about Third Culture Kids (TCKs)!!! Stay tuned for a podcast interview with them dropping this summer!
— C. Kade via Instagram.
Thanks so much for this resource! As
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Judy Howard Ellis
MANAGING EDITOR
John Liang
SENIOR EDITOR
Tammy Matthews
I
EDITOR
Sofia Ressel
Summer 2023 www.CultursMag.com
Volume VI, Issue XX
GURU
PUBLISHER & CEO
Doni Aldine
CONTRIBUTORS
Domênica Alves
Karina Brum
Romita
Bulchandani
Phillip Lucas
PODCAST
PRODUCTION
PRODUCER Katie Mitchel
CREATIVE
COLUMNISTS
Andrea Bazoin
Paulette Bethel
Hayden Greene
ART DIRECTION
Diana Vega
ILLUSTRATION
Diana Vega
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Gerd Altmann
Lucas Cardoso
Niara Hardin
ADVISORY BOARD
Chumba Limo
Brooke Martellaro
Gregory Moore
Donna Musil
Hans Hillewaert
Larry Horricks
Stephen McCarthy
Okkofi
Gustavo Peres
Jim Thirion
Warofdreams
SUPPORTERS
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Connect with Culturs on social: @CultursMag
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CULTURSTM magazine, Volume 2, Issue 3. Copyright Culturs Global Multicultural Philanthropic Lifestyle Network. All rights reserved. Published quarterly; Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, by Simply Alive, LLC, 242 Linden Street, Fort Collins, CO 80525.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Culturs magazine, 1800 Wazee Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO, 80525. Reproduction in whole or part without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Simply Alive LLC does not assume responsibility for the advertisements, nor any representation made therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts, photographs, and other material submitted. Culturs makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising and editorial content, however, does not make any claim as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information.
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enjoyed reading your beautiful magazine. "She" makes my beach time more relaxed and fun.
— T. Lingo via Whatsapp
I'm so encouraged to have found you all! Just listening to your podcast I feel like I've found my tribe. Thank you for all that you guys do for everyone in the "in-between!"
— C. Kade via Facebook.
CULTURS is really a nice magazine, I'd love to collaborate with you someday.
— M. Femenias-Moratinos via email.
a Third Culture Adult and adoptive parent, I've been looking all over for exactly this.
— P. Callow via Facebook, regarding Dr. Jenn article.
n the 21st century, assessing someone’s background from outward appearance isn’t enough as hidden, rather than visual, diversity means people increasingly bring more to the table than meets the eye.
Whether through nationality, travel, race or ethnicity, many straddle culture in myriad ways. From Cultural Fluidity, to Third Culture Kid, Expat, Third Culture Adult, Cross-Cultural Kid and more, the language to describe our in-between community is of
A term coined by author Ruth Van Reken in 2002, is a person who is living, has lived, or meaningfully interacted with two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during the first 18 years of life. This includes minority individuals living within majority culture.
An adult who grew up as a Cross-Cultural Kid.
A term coined by Culturs founder Donnyale Ambrosine to characterize hidden diversity created by people who don’t or didn’t grow up in a homogenous cultural environment. Culturally Fluid individuals may straddle nationalities, ethnicities, race or culture. The fluidity created allows understanding between or among their foundational areas of meaningful experience. It also may hinder sense of belonging to any one area.
Children of missionaries who travel to missions domestically or abroad.
utmost importance. Knowing the vocabulary creates understanding and deepens our sense of belonging and connections to others with similar experiences. Here’s a quick overview so you can follow along any of our articles with ease:
Coined by Sociologist Ruth Useem in the 1950s as a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The first culture is considered an individual’s passport culture, while the second culture consists of the culture(s) in which the individual has lived. The third culture is a result of the person’s life experience; this is the culture to which they most belong. The third culture often is where individuals feel community with others of similar experience.
Children who moved to various regions within the same country while growing up, often having to re-learn ways of being, especially as regional differences in dress, speech and action are heightened in formative years when it is important to be accepted.
An adult who grew up as a TCK.
Coined in 2002 by Psychotherapist Paulette Bethel to signify individuals who travel extensively and are immersed in, or live in global locations after the age of 18 (after identity has been solidified).
Internationally nomadic group not characterized by a parent’s occupation. Displaced from their homeland forcibly or by choice, often having fled for varied reasons — violence, politics, religion, environment, etc. Refugees typically do not return to their origin country.
People who, for varied reasons, immigrate to a country different than their homeland to stay permanently. Many return to their home countries to visit, though some do not.
As defined by Merriam Webster — to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere; which also sometimes means to renounce allegiance to one’s native country.
Children of military who move with parents to different places within or outside of their home country. They often experience other cultures within the confines of a military installation or compound that possesses traits of the home country.
Children traveling with their parents to various countries in non-military government roles, diplomatic corps, civil service, foreign service, etc.
Children whose parents are members of the home country’s political framework while living on foreign soil.
Those who travel expecting differences among intra-international or international culture, however, not immersed in these cultures for extended periods of time, or long enough to integrate local cultural norms as their own.
Children whose parents work with multinational corporations that take them to faraway lands, often in professional fields surrounding oil, construction and pharmaceuticals.
Described by author Ruth Van Reken in the book
“Third Culture Kids,” a borderlander is a citizen of one country that lives close to another. Often the norms, customs and traits of each country’s culture seeps into the other, creating a cultural experience separate from either original culture, while allowing inhabitants keen knowledge and insight into their own culture as well as the other.
People whose family consists of two or more races to which the individual identifies. With race often come cultural norms, slang language and attitudes that can greatly differ. Many multiracial children, though not all, have the unique opportunity to learn norms of all the cultures they comprise.
People whose family consists of two or more cultures to which the individual identifies. Even when belonging to the same race, differences in culture may exist between ethnicities, tribes and other cultural contexts.
DOMÊNICA ALVES was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. Alves is an English teacher specializing in oral communication. She has helped many people improve their English skills through private and group classes in schools and companies. Alves is also passionate about traveling within her country and abroad. She loves meeting new people, learning about their cultures, trying new food and just being somewhere for the first time.
ANDREA BAZOIN (say “Bah-Zwah”) is a human resilience activator, which means she works with individuals and teams to identify and dismantle the practical and personal barriers that keep them from thriving in our everaccelerating future. Her family ties span the globe and include the U.S., Chile, Argentina, Australia, and France. She currently lives in Colorado, U.S.A. with her French husband and culturally fluid son. Learn more at www.andreabazoin.com.
PAULETTE BETHEL, PHD is a career U.S. Air Force officer, trauma recovery coach, global transition expert and a mother to Third Culture Kids. Culturally and racially blended, Dr. Bethel is our expert on the importance of transition and its effect on relationships. She is CEO and Founder of Discoveries Coaching & Consulting.
KARINA BRUM is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Despite being born in Brazil, she often traveled to the United States to visit her maternal family in Colorado. Growing up for Brum was very bicultural as she switched from Portuguese to English and viceversa to communicate with family. She found herself in two vastly different cultural contexts, and she needed to learn to navigate. Brum currently works at Colorado State University in university housing. Within her role, she provides residential support to a diverse community of residents, most of whom are international students.
ROMITA BULCHANDANI, a.k.a. Glitter Explorer, is a former Fortune 200 leader turned Spiritual Life Coach. She leans in on her 15+ years of leadership experience for Fortune 200 companies like The Walt Disney Company and Marriott International. She left the corporate space to conquer her own mental health. She has been traveling (28+ countries) worldwide, exploring mental health from various perspectives. Inspired by her travels, Bulchandani founded Glitter For The Soul to help depleted humans reconnect and master their souls so they can build wealth and change the world.
LUCAS CARDOSO is a professional photographer in São Paulo, Brazil, whose dream career began when he purchased his first camera in his early teens. He attended Ítalo Brasileiro University Center and seeks to make unforgettable photos. Find him on Instagram: @lucascardosoph.
HAYDEN GREENE is a pop culture columnist and director of multicultural affairs and student development at Manhattan College in New York City, U.S.A. Known as Brooklyn’s favorite polymath, he is a prize-winning fine art photographer, voice over talent and Trinidadian from the U.K.
JOHN LIANG is an Adult Third Culture Kid who grew up in Guatemala, Costa Rica, the United States, Morocco and Egypt before graduating high school. He has a bachelor’s degree in languages from Georgetown University and a master’s in International Policy Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Liang has covered the U.S. military for two decades as a writer and editor for InsideDefense. com, and is also managing editor of Culturs Magazine. He lives in Arlington, Va., U.S.A.
PHILLIP LUCAS has more than 10 years of experience in journalism. Currently, he is an international news editor at Bandeirantes TV in São Paulo, Brazil. Sports, politics and TV series are his favorite topics.
GUSTAVO PERES has been a photographer in São Paulo, Brazil for five years. His mission is to combine ordinary experiences and locations to make extraordinary memories. Find more of his work on Instagram: @gustavoraton.
DIANA VEGA is a Third Culture Adult. Born in Mexico and passionate about design, they studied architecture and started a small business after college. Interested in entrepreneurship, Vega moved to Colorado, U.S.A. to earn an MBA at Colorado State University. Now repatriated to Mexico, they are a graphic designer and illustrator for Culturs Magazine.
Itook two fencing classes during my time at University, when I studied journalism. I
loved fencing as a sport. The elegance of it. The strategic purpose of every lunge or riposte. Foil was my favorite.
Fencing fit nicely with taking journalism classes. It enabled me to think strategically, which also prepared me to do journalism taught me to do. Writing about how people connect with each other has trailed me since then and dominated conversations with my news-and-genealogyminded mom and my dear friend Sharon Egiebor, an awardwinning journalist and familytree scribe.
With that in mind, perhaps you can understand why I’m particularly excited about the stories filed for this Summer issue by Hayden Green and Dr. Paulette Bethel. Each of their stories touches on two abiding interests of mine.
Greene offers an overview of the recently released film, “Chevalier,” which tells the story of Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
The biography about this French knight who won praise as a composer, fencing champion and soldier is jaw-dropping enough. In fact, after seeing the film, I wished for more scenes with Chevalier’s fencing exploits.
Best of all, “Chevalier” also imagines the in-betweenness Chevalier experiences as the son of a French slave owner and an enslaved African woman. In history, there are many littleknown stories about the culturally and racially layered world of Europe. May this film encourage more of these stories to be told and celebrated.
Dr. Bethel’s story reminds me of the depths of the human experience around the globe. The earthshaking knowledge being gained by millions as they learn more about their parentage in the age of at-home DNA tests fills me with quiet. Stories about family lines and hidden, connected histories give me pause. Each life story carries an eternal weight of significance.
I salute Dr. Bethel and those who have shown empathy and thoughtful support for those walking through involuntary revisions of their personal identity and family history. Their stories must be heard and their hearts tended.
I particularly thank Jodi Girard for allowing us to mention her experience in Culturs. It is a privilege.
There’s much more to this Summer issue as you rewind on a beach, relax in an isolated cabin, or, if you enjoy a more urban mood, eat a meal in a swank Airbnb. For those in the southern hemisphere facing cooler seasons, maybe you’re snuggling before a fire with hot chocolate.
Wherever you are, whether it’s warm or chilly, get ready to read about the beauty of Brazil and its incredible arts, cuisine and nightlife, the importance of self-care and loving yourself, the experiences of a Third Culture Kid (TCK) that frame a futuristic novel set in Asia, and much more.
Judy Howard Ellis Editor-in-ChiefWhen growing up, Terie Miyamoto
would hear her older relatives talk about something that happened while they were at “Camp” and assume they meant a summer or sleepaway camp.
It wasn’t until Miyamoto was much older that she learned the truth: “Camp” meant one of the concentration camps where the U.S. government forced JapaneseAmericans to live during World War II.
To commemorate her family’s forced internment, Miyamoto and several of her relatives went to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A. in late March 2023 to stamp her mother’s name in the Ireichō, the sacred book that holds the names of over 125,000 people incarcerated at U.S. Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration and War Relocation Authority camps.
Miyamoto’s older half-sister Lilian, whose existence Miyamoto only learned about after her mother’s death, was among the relatives who joined her at the museum.
When Miyamoto’s mother Yoshiko Ogata was 16, she got pregnant and had to give up her daughter Lilian for adoption. Lilian wound up at an orphanage located at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California. Ogata, who with her family was relocated to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho, was unable to find Lilian after the war.
“I never knew about her until after my mom had passed away,” Miyamoto says. She met Lilian for the first time in 2019, after her sister’s son tracked her down via research at the U.S. National Archives.
I really do believe that my mom’s spirit was there, [as well as those of] my relatives.
Going to the museum with Lilian — only the second time they had been together — and stamping her mother’s name was “very, very emotional,” according to Miyamoto. “I got very teary-eyed.”
“I really do believe that my mom’s spirit was there, [as well as those of] my relatives,” she says. “That’s what I was thinking, that we were finally there to honor them for the injustice [they went through] and that their spirits were with us.
“And we had all these serendipitous things that happened to us during the day and I thought, oh, that’s not coincidence,” she continues. “That’s my mom. And you know, our relatives, my Aunt Connie, my Aunt Marge, helping us out.”
It wasn’t until Miyamoto was much older that she learned the truth: “Camp” meant one of the concentration camps where the U.S. government forced Japanese-Americans to live during World War II.
One of the big takeaways from the museum trip for Miyamoto was “that we just have to make sure that this gets in our history books for our kids to remember,” she says.
“With everything that they’re banning now, books of this and books of that, is that it’s just not being taught in schools,” says Miyamoto in reference to the internment camps. “I never really knew about it myself. In fact, when I was young, we were visiting my aunts and uncles in Seattle. They would just talk about “camp,” and I thought it was that they just went to a summer camp like we do.
“And then later on, gosh, when I was in college, then my mom talked a little bit about it and said, ‘No, it’s not summer camp. It was because we were of Japanese ancestry and we got rounded up and had to go to Idaho,’” Miyamoto says.
Miyamoto remembers one time as an adult, driving from Colorado to Washington State, and seeing a sign for the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho.
“So I detoured and drove there, and I’ll tell you, when I was getting closer, I got so emotional to think, ‘Here are my grandparents who didn’t really speak English, and my mom and her siblings coming from Seattle, which is so beautiful, to this prairie, this sage brush, this desolate area.’
“And it just made, I mean, I started crying,” she continues. “It was just so emotional. And there was still a guard tower there, and there were a couple of buildings, out buildings. I think one was the mess hall, but, I can hardly even believe that we did this, to these people. To our people. My people.”
During that time, Miyamoto’s father was off in Europe fighting in the most decorated military unit of the war, the 442nd Infantry Regiment.
“And here was my dad. My dad had not met my mother yet, but he was fighting in the 442nd. He was fighting overseas and I thought, ‘What is wrong with this picture?” she says.
We just have to make sure that this gets in our history books for our kids to remember.The Go For Broke Memorial.
Her father Teruo “Ted” Miyamoto, like many in the “Greatest Generation,” never spoke much about his experiences during the war, except for one instance.
When Miyamoto was in seventh grade, her Latin teacher singled her out on December 7th and asked her what day it was.
“And I knew what she meant and I just said, ‘I don’t know.’ And she ripped me apart in front of the class and she said, ‘You don’t know? You don’t know? This is the day that the J*ps bombed Pearl Harbor. And you don’t know that?’
“And I, I couldn’t even speak,” Miyamoto continues. “I was in shock. And so I went home and I told my dad, and he was furious. And so he set up a meeting with the Dean of Girls and that teacher and myself, and that’s when he said, ‘You know what? You don’t ever insinuate that my family was part of Pearl Harbor.’ He said, ‘I fought for this country and defended it during World War II and to insinuate that our family was part of Pearl Harbor is wrong.’”
Miyamoto dropped the class and never had that woman as a teacher again.
“I never went back to her class and that’s when I knew my dad had served because he would never talk about it,” she says.
When Miyamoto moved to Colorado, she moved a lot of her father’s things from her childhood home to her new one.
In one of those boxes was a
Bronze Star, “and so I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I never even knew Dad had this,’” she says.
“And so I had it all framed in a shadow box and I gave it to him for Father’s Day and he said, ‘I don’t want that.’ He said, ‘You just keep it at your house,’ because he just never wanted to talk about it. It was so horrific for him,” she continues.
While in Los Angeles, Miyamoto also visited the Go For Broke Monument that commemorates the service of Japanese Americans during the war.
Overall, the trip to California was a spiritual journey for Miyamoto on a myriad of levels.
“I do think it’s that spiritual connection we had at the stamping,” she says. “And my mom drawing my sister to me during our reunion. I mean, that just, it just can’t be that coincidental to me that was her spirit.”
To read this story online, scan the code below. cultursmag.com/terie-miyamotos-spiritual
For Dr. Jennifer Noble, a clinical psychologist and parenting coach, the
best way for kids to figure out their individual identities, particularly if they’re mixed-race, is through informed parents.
“Dr. Jenn,” as she’s known online, is a licensed psychologist and coach for parents of mixedrace children. She’s the creator of the Mixed Life Academy, an online coaching community for parents of mixed-race kids, helping them raise confident, resilient children.
Her passion for identity freedom and the mixedrace experience is fueled by her lived experience as an African-American and Sri Lankan-TamilMalaysian woman (she considers herself “Blasian”)
Noble has a private practice in Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A. where she works with teens, their parents, women of color and other marginalized groups. She’s taught collegiate-level psychology for over 15 years. Her passion for identity freedom and the mixedrace experience is fueled by her lived experience as an AfricanAmerican and Sri Lankan-TamilMalaysian woman (she considers herself “Blasian”).
“There’s so many ways to tackle a problem, if you will,” she says. “And for me, I love identity development and that’s what I kind-of studied in my work as a psychologist. And so a lot of the earlier work that I would do, like in a nonprofittype setting was often with other mixed-race adults.”
Noble says she kept finding that those mixed-race adults were saying, “‘Oh, when I was young — this, or my parents never said that, or my parents never’ — And so I … was like, who is out there, directing the help at the parents? I certainly can identify with what a lot of adults have said, and I can talk with my own parents and discuss what they maybe could have said more of or done more of as I was growing up.
“So yeah, my angle at helping the children is by helping the parents,” Noble continues.
The Mixed Life Academy is focused on helping a parent get insight into what their child is going to experience in the world, according to Noble. “It’s a whole different experience than either of their parents, and I don’t think parents really wrap their mind around it,” she adds.
Noble talks about cases where one parent might be Cuban, thinking they’ll raise their kids to be Cuban, while the person they eventually marry is, say, Filipino with aims of raising their kids to be Filipino.
“And the kid’s like, ‘Um, I’m not sure if you guys thought about how will you teach me to be both? And then how will you teach me to integrate the two into one person?’ Because that’s really what’s happening,” she says.
“Lots of parents can address the thing that they know, which is their own background, but because that parent has not lived what it’s like to be more than one at the same time, they struggle to do that.”
Consequently, that’s what Dr. Jenn does in the academy: “I kind of teach them, here’s what your kid is gonna face. Here’s some of the experiences they’ll have. Here’s how you understand their outlook and experience in the world and meet them where they’re at and help them navigate it.”
Additionally, Noble says she would love for parents to start with themselves, i.e. their own introspection on their own racial identity journey.
“I do give a couple exercises where I try to get parents to sit back and just be like, ‘OK, what was it like [growing up]? What is the most salient part of my identity? Is it race? Is it ethnicity? Is it religion? What were my experiences? How do people treat me when I walk out into the world? And what do I think about that?’” according to Noble.
“I would love for them to start there because it really does tell a big part of the story of how they’re probably gonna parent their mixed-race kid in regards to racial identity, not necessarily anything else,” she adds.
For example, Noble says, suppose there’s an IndianAmerican person whose parents were born in India, who grew up in the United States, and maybe they had a lot of maltreatment where other people told them they weren’t “white” or “pretty.” That person might have tried to blend in with their white friends “and they’re like, ‘Yes, I know I’m Indian. But also I just, I just really want to be American. Like, can you just let me be American?’ Then maybe they choose a partner and have a kid.”
That new parent may have disconnected themself so much from their Indian heritage and culture that when it’s time to
The Mixed Life Academy is focused on helping a parent get insight into what their child is going to experience in the world.
present it to their kid, “they’re kind of like stuck or it just brings up their old stuff of like, ‘Oh man, how is my kid gonna be received in the world?’
“So I really would want a parent to start there and just be like, ‘OK, let me just do my own digging,’” she continues. “‘How do I feel about being in the body I’m in and the skin I’m in?’ But because parents don’t always start there, I start them with the basics of essentially the mixed-race
experience: Just what are some concepts and themes that you just need to know, kind of like the umbrella frameworks so that when a kid brings an issue home, you can be like, ‘Oh, I know this or I know what’s going on here because I was presented with this theme or this concept, and now I can meet my kid where they’re at, rather than dismissing it or trying to fix it.’”
A lot of us tend to define people by how they look, by what their phenotype is, according to Noble.
So I really would want a parent to start there and just be like, ‘OK, let me just do my own digging.
“If a parent could understand [that], then when a kid comes home and says, ‘Oh, I’m not Costa Rican, because I don’t look that,’ then the parent can be like, ‘All right, I know that’s a real thing. Let me not dismiss it. Let me not try to fix it. Let’s just sit in that,’” Noble says. “‘Let’s look at the reality of, yeah, they said, what? Because your skin color is too light? Oh, well, do you think there are lighter Costa Ricans? Well, let’s look at that and let’s challenge whatever they’re presenting,’ but you get a chance to validate that kid’s experience.
“The parent is now able to say, ‘You’re getting comments on your phenotype. I’m gonna go there with you. Let’s talk more about phenotype. Let me educate you about phenotype. Let me let you be OK with phenotype because it’s not tied to your culture. You still can have access to all your cultures, you can still do all the things. We’re still gonna be your parents and those are still gonna be your ancestors,’” she says.
Tools like those give the parents some “fighting material” to work with for their kids, which helps empower the child, according to Noble. “And that’s where you build that resilience and the confidence.”
What is the most salient part of my identity? Is it race? Is it ethnicity? Is it religion? What were my experiences?
Follow Dr. Jenn on social media @DrJennPsych or her website at www.drjennpsych.com, or scan the code below for the full conversation with Noble on the Destinations With Doni podcast. cultursmag.com/destinations-with-doni-dr-jenn
MENU
• BRIGADEIRO
• PER-DE-MOLEQUE
• FEIJÃO TROPEIRO
• CAIPIRINHA
• TROPICAL SMOTHIE
• MATE DRINK
Each issue, we visit a country to bring you the sights, sounds and flavors of the local culture. With Culturs Celebrations, we create a Dinner Party Kit for 10 to make it easy for you to join the party and invite your friends and family. Get festive with us!
INGREDIENTS FOR BRIGADEIRO:
1. 1 tablespoon unsweetened butter
2. 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3. 4 tablespoons cocoa powder/powdered chocolate milk
4. 1 cup chocolate sprinkle, as needed
In a pot over medium/high heat, melt the butter, condensed milk and cocoa powder, stirring continuously until you can see the bottom of the pot for 2-3 seconds when dragging a spatula through.
Pour onto a plate, then chill for 3 hours (let cool at room temperature).
Shape and roll the chilled mixture into balls.
Roll the balls in chocolate sprinkles.
INGREDIENTS FOR PE-DE-MOLEQUE:
1. 250 grams of roasted, peeled, unsalted peanuts
2. 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3. 2 tablespoons sugar
4. 1 tablespoon unsweetened butter
In a pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter, condensed milk, sugar, and peanuts, stirring continuously until you can see the bottom of the pot for 2-3 seconds when dragging a spatula through.
Pour onto a pan lined with parchment paper, then chill for 3 hours (let cool at room temperature). 02 03
Shape and roll the chilled mixture into whatever shape you would like, such as ovals or squares.
INGREDIENTS FOR PE-DE-MOLEQUE:
01 The beans must be already cooked.
02
Fry the other ingredients.
03 Put all of them together.
Feijão Tropeiro is a dish from Minas Gerais, a state in the southeast region of Brazil. Feijão Tropeiro is famous for being country-comfy food.
CAN A SANDWICH CRAFTED WITH DELECTABLY ROASTED CUTS MAKE YOUR TASTE BUDS QUAKE WITH YEARNING?
INGREDIENTS FOR CAIPIRINHA:
1. 1 lime
2. White cane sugar
3. 2 ounces of cachaça or white rum
4. Small ice cubes or cracked ice
01
All you need is 1 lime and white cane sugar as sweet as you like your drinks.
Then mix. Add 2 ounces of cachaça or white rum. 02
Toss in ice (small ice cubes or cracked ice) and garnish with lime.
At your next party, try a round of caipirinhas, Brazil’s national cocktail. Caipirinhas are easy to make and full of flavor.
DESTINATION: BRAZIL
INGREDIENTS FOR TROPICAL SMOOTHIE
01 Mix it in your blender and serve.
Alternatives are almond or oat milk. If you don’t like adding oats, try your favorite protein powder. Boost the healthiness of this drink with a dash of turmeric.
Mate is another of the traditional drinks in Brazil that is caffeine rich. This drink forms an important part of the culture of many South American countries like Argentina, Chile, etc.
1. Mate leaves
2. Hot or cold water
You prepare mate with freshly plucked mate leaves grounded and pounded to make them smaller. Then you add to hot or cold water. To drink the mate, you use a metal straw called a bombilla. The drink is one of the favorite Brazilian Christmas drinks.
Cultural Entertaining Kits with everything you need for a party of 10 (except the food)
• Invitations
• Thank you cards
• Name place cards
• Menus
• Authentic recipes
Videos to follow the cooking and a detailed that tells you when to do what and how.
TASTE:
Brazil|Argentina|Mexico|East Africa
Colombia | Costa Rica and more!
$24.95 at Cultursmag.com/shop
One Layer Deeper is a look at pop culture from a multicultural and global perspective. We look at movies and TV projects and dig “one layer deeper” to talk about some things you may have missed.
In this edition, we look at the new film “Chevalier,” a quirky little movie called “The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu” and actress Eva Longoria’s new series on Mexican food! Let’s dig in!
The biographical drama from Searchlight and Element Pictures details the rise of Joseph Bologne, the first major composer in Europe of African descent. The film stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Joseph Bologne, fresh off his role as B. B. King in “Elvis” and Christian in “Cyrano.” “Chevalier” also stars Samara Weaving as MarieJosephine and Lucy Boynton as Marie Antoinette.
Bologne’s story isn’t very well-known, so let’s give you a primer: The first thing you’re probably wondering is why is a movie about Bologne called “Chevalier.” His full name is Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Loosely translated, the last part of the name means Knight of St. George. The “Saint-Georges” comes from his father, who we will talk about later. The “de” is the French version of “O” or “son,” as in O’Connor or Richardson, and is used to designate a nobleman’s son.
The “Chevalier” portion is French for knight, and that title is where the film focuses its story: Bologne earned the respect of the French nobility and was knighted, thus becoming the Chevalier of the Saint-Georges family.
Bologne’s father was Georges de Bologne Saint-Georges (quite the mouthful). He was the grandson of a Dutch Huguenot and was a plantation owner and slaver in Guadeloupe, a French colony in the Caribbean.
The elder Saint-Georges was married but fathered a child with his wife’s enslaved chambermaid from Senegal, who was only 15 years old. In an act that was uncommon for the time, Bologne’s father gave him his last name and sent him to Paris, France to be educated.
This is where Bologne’s notoriety begins as he excels at everything he does.
The movie sets the scene of pre-revolution France, Paris in particular. Race relations intertwine with class issues and tensions are at a breaking point.
Bologne is not only a skilled violinist, but he’s skilled at combat and an excellent swordsman. At one point, he’s part of the king’s personal guard. His love for music distracts him from the business of war and combat.
Note the world events encircling Bologne: 1776 marks the Declaration of Independence of the North American colonies from Britain, and in the following years, France’s involvement in the revolution.
1776 marks the Declaration ofIndependence of the North American colonies from Britain, and in the following years, France’s involvement in the revolution.Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
France would have to contend with its own revolution in 1789 as well as subsequent revolts in 1791 by enslaved people on its colony in Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti. Bologne finds himself involved in the French Revolution, as well as Haiti’s struggle for independence.
The backdrop of the political climate is important when considering Bologne’s achievement in music. And that backdrop is important to understand when a romantic relationship ultimately leads to the demise of his music career. Also, Bologne navigates his status as an immigrant both in France and then in Haiti.
In both circumstances, he fights alongside the French army to quell the revolution, and one must wonder if he becomes such a fierce nationalist in order to overcompensate for his immigrant status. We look forward to this offering and the treatment of the story.
This spunky film tells the story of a woman who immigrates to the United States from China and builds a family and goes on an adventure with her granddaughter to relive old memories.
The director and writer Anna Chi sets out to tell a tale of an epic, stereotype-bashing road trip while recanting the family’s
journey in the United States. She assembles a cast of veteran actors such as Lisa Lu (Lily Wu), Archie Kao (David Wu) and Adrian Carter (Brian Carter), while introducing us to newcomers like Rochelle Ying (Emma Carter).
We pick up the story of Lily Wu, the title character, celebrating her 88th birthday in a nursing home. Pretty soon, we realize she has a plot afoot and she, her granddaughter and caretaker are about to set out on an adventure.
When we first meet Mrs. Wu, she has biting commentary for her children and the people surrounding her. It seems the only one she’s nice to is her granddaughter, Emma, with whom she has a special bond.
Everyone in range of Mrs. Wu’s
snarkiness chalks it up to the fact that she is a Chinese mother.
“That’s just how they are,” everyone seems to accept.
You may have watched this and invoked your own ethnicity and did a comparison. We hear the same criticisms about Jewish mothers, African mothers, Caribbean mothers, Greek mothers and the list goes on. The trope is widespread and becoming overused, albeit based in factual circumstances.
What all the women in the trope have in common is a desire to hold on to traditional cultural values in a country not their own. Couple that with the ability to speak one’s mind freely after a certain age, and you get the curmudgeonly mother always criticizing their children.
Lisa Lu.There are a lot of actions in this movie that are passed off as odd behavior which are probably undiagnosed mental disorders. Mrs. Wu obsessively scratches her name into a rock. Years later, her daughter repeatedly sanitizes her hands.
By themselves, they may seem innocuous, but a good therapist will tell you that these are signs of underlying issues. That neither of these women seek help from a professional is most likely a manifestation of the fact that communities of color view therapy as taboo.
When being seen as weak or called crazy are stigmatized, communities frown upon seeking professional help for mental disorders. Instead, manageable diagnoses go untreated and are passed off as quirks.
Many cultures place food in a very high regard and center many of their traditions around the preparation and consumption of meals. As a result, food serves as shorthand for sentiments in many cultures.
We see spicy noodles, Irish soda bread, and dumplings as reminders of cultures and memories.
The look on the character’s faces when they talk about or think about these foods confirms the recall power they have.
The movie spends a large amount of time challenging stereotypes and being surprised when they are proven to be false.
The running theme is that one character fears their nontraditional worldview will not be well received, only to find out that the people they were concerned about were far more open-minded: Emma is afraid to tell her mother she is interested in a boy outside of her race when her mother is married to a non-Chinese man. Karen is afraid to tell her best friend that she is gay. Emma and Karen misjudge a pair of bikers only to find out they’re nice guys and gay.
The message is heavy-handed and repetitive; we get the point.
It was lovely that Mrs. Wu’s caretaker, Charlotte, says that when she came here from Ireland and became a nanny to a Chinese family that she created her own “American” (U.S.) family. It’s beautiful when the immigrant story is enough to bind people, even if they’re not from the same country.
Mrs. Wu tells Emma to be an ally to Brian because in their family and in their community, he is the outsider and needs her support. It’s an example of how we float in and out of the dominant culture.
“Let me go. Let me be free,” she writes on the side of a van. It was very interesting that Mrs. Wu writes it in Chinese, knowing that only a few people (the ones that needed to) could read it. She knew Emma could let her go, but her daughter could not.
Even though this project was clunky in places and the greener actors distracted from the plot, the intentions were good, and the lessons were sound, if not overstated.
When being seen as weak or called crazy are stigmatized, communities frown upon seeking professional help for mental disorders.
Next up is a delightful series from Eva Longoria. She serves as executive producer and the host for this trip into Mexican food culture and history. It’s called “Searching For Mexico” and could have easily been called “Finding Mexico.”
As in “The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu,” food serves as a memory agent but, in this series, it is front and center.
Longoria takes you to different parts of the country to show that Mexican cuisine is far more complex than tacos and burritos. She pays homage to the history of each location she visits and links the influences of the indigenous and immigrant
populations that lend their heritage to the food’s style.
Even when discussing the ubiquitous taco, Longoria showcases the diversity within that food item.
As we follow Longoria, the country of Mexico unfolds and, for some, it may be the first time they see how truly diverse the nation’s regions are, and therefore the people who live there.
The first episode makes a point of also speaking about the different people who all immigrated to Mexico, and Mexico City in particular. This is crucial to the power of this conversation around food but also a critical shift in mindset for residents of the United States and Canada, where the popular narrative is that Mexicans are immigrants to other nations, as opposed to a nation welcoming immigrants.
That shift in the power dynamic is refreshing and elevates the people and, by proxy, the food they create.
The series is currently running on Amazon Prime and you can catch the first episode for free.
We hope you enjoy these three offerings. Until next time, keeping digging!
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Longoria takes you to different parts of the country to show that Mexican cuisine is far more complex than tacos and burritos.Eva Longoria. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Web Summit via Sportsfile.
In a city where there’s room for a little of everything, it’s almost impossible not to think
about the various forms of culture that São Paulo offers. Host of the Modern Art Week in 1922, the largest Brazilian city is considered a reference in the most diverse forms of cultural expression.
Museums, theaters, concert halls, leisure and sports centers, bars, restaurants, nightclubs. The metropolis — with all its problems — breathes culture.
Museums, theaters, concert halls, leisure and sports centers, bars, restaurants, nightclubs. The metropolis — with all its problems — breathes culture.
And it is impossible to start this article without mentioning the São Paulo Museum of Art, idealized by Assis Chateaubriand, one of the main entrepreneurs in the communication business in Brazil in the 20th century. The first address was in a building on 7 de Abril Street, in 1947. In 1968, the museum moved to the heart of the city.
Designed by Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi, the building on Paulista Avenue was inaugurated on November 8th of that year. The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attended the inauguration. The construction was a landmark for São Paulo, which was in the moment of expansion.
The Pinacoteca, in the Luz district, is the oldest art gallery in the city. Inaugurated at Christmas in 1905, the state government administers the complex.
There are more than 10,000 pieces in the collection. One of the most famous is the portrait of Suzanne Bloch, by Pablo Picasso.
“I saw many exhibitions of Botero, Monet. And I believe that was where I had my first contact with world masterpieces. And with that, I learned to be more curious about painting itself,” says import analyst Eduardo Rivas.
The Pinacoteca, in the Luz district, is the oldest art gallery in the city. Inaugurated on Christmas in 1905, the state government administers the complex. A fan of the place is journalist Marina Cid.
“At the Pinacoteca there are always traveling exhibitions, like the Os Gemeos (‘The Twins’ in English), which I really liked, and exhibitions of works from the collection,” says Cid. And she wasn’t the only one to praise the show of artists Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo.
Nearly 240,000 people (about half the population of Wyoming, U.S.A.) visited the show, which was open to the public between October 2020 and September 2021. It was the third most viewed exhibition in the history of the Pinacoteca.
Cid introduces us to another cultural tour option in São Paulo: “The MIS is a great place for those who like interactive and thematic exhibitions. I’ve been to many there: Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum [children’s TV show from the ‘90s],
Despite the large number of options for museums, art institutes and historical buildings, those places are not spread throughout the city.
John Lennon, Rita Lee [a Brazilian singer], Silvio Santos [famous TV host], Hitchcock” and more.
And at Ibirapuera, the main park in São Paulo, those who exercise can also check out two other important museums: the Afro Brazil and the Museum of Modern Art.
For those looking for orchestra presentations, the best places to go are the Sala São Paulo and the Theatro Municipal, both located downtown. Theater shows of the most varied genres are also staged throughout the city.
Historic buildings are also excellent options in the city. “One of the places I like most is
the Martinelli, known as the first skyscraper in São Paulo,” recommends financial consultant Michel Oliveira.
“When it inaugurated [in 1924] people were afraid to go up, because it looked like [the building] was going to fall. And because it was built on a slope, it gave the impression of being crooked,” adds Oliveira, who has worked in the building for a couple of years.
Despite the large number of options for museums, art institutes and historical buildings, those places are not spread throughout the city. Almost all of them are in downtown São Paulo, which makes access difficult for those who live in the suburbs. For journalist Onil Junior, it’s necessary to raise awareness of the importance of culture in society.
“People need to be interested in the artist, in the play. But many times, these events do not reach the peripheral regions. So, one of the possibilities to increase access to culture is to make cultural events happen in the peripheral regions, so that the population can get to know and research more about it,” Junior says.
For compliance analyst Douglas Aguillar, another factor that keeps the poorest people away from these spaces is the lack of public transportation.
“This ends up making access impossible because of the time it takes to get to these places,” he says. “And during the weekend, the train and subway lines don’t operate 100%. And it is at the weekend that most of the population has time to have fun. So, the lack of urban mobility affects direct access to culture.”
To stimulate the consumption of art, one strand that has gained prominence in recent years is street culture.
The São Paulo of the gray walls has accumulated more colors. Visual artists and urban collectives spread throughout the city, which has gained new — and beautiful — landscapes. True open-air museums.
One of them is the Beco do Batman, a narrow street in the west zone of São Paulo, full of murals and graffiti.
With almost 13 million inhabitants, São Paulo is the main Brazilian city.
A group of artists of indigenous origin graffitied the viaduct in Jaraguá, the north zone of São Paulo. This one, in the Avenida Paulista region, the most emblematic of the city, portrays the writer from Minas Gerais, Carolina Maria de Jesus. The work, signed by Criola, was baptized “The Ancestress of the Future.”
“São Paulo is a box of surprises when we talk about culture. Every day, we learn new things because new information arrives here,” Aguillar says.
Even with its wealth, São Paulo never was the Brazilian capital. While the main city of the state of São Paulo was growing, Rio de Janeiro — 430 kilometers away — was the seat of executive power.
With almost 13 million inhabitants, São Paulo is the main Brazilian city. To have an idea, the city hall budget is the third largest in Brazil, behind only to the budget of the federal government and the budget of the government of the state of São Paulo.
And its vocation as a business hub comes from the beginning of the 20th century, when coffee — produced in the state’s interior — was the main product exported by Brazil. Paulista Avenue, in the early 1900s, was a street full of mansions, where the coffee barons used to live.
Even with its wealth, São Paulo never was the Brazilian capital. While the main city of the state of São Paulo was growing, Rio de Janeiro — 430 kilometers away — was the seat of executive power. The choice of Rio as the federal capital in 1763 was strictly intended to supervise the mining regions during the gold cycle. In 1960, the federal administration moved to its current home: Brasília, built during Juscelino Kubitschek’s government.
While São Paulo grew for business, Rio de Janeiro has always had a greater vocation for art. The natural beauties, such as the beaches and the Pao de Açúcar, complete the plot of the “Wonderful City.” In São Paulo, everything is “for yesterday.” In
Rio de Janeiro, everything is “contemplated.” But the charm of one does not erase the effervescence of the other.
São Paulo is the main business center in Brazil, and one of the most important in Latin America. Throughout the year, sectors such as civil construction, telecommunications and information technology hold their fairs and conventions, attracting thousands of visitors. The metropolis realized the importance of business tourism and today draws almost 10% of the hotel reservations in the entire country.
Of course, don’t forget São Paulo’s nightlife. There are options for all tastes.
Of course, don’t forget São Paulo’s nightlife. There are options for all tastes: nightclubs with varied musical rhythms, ranging from rock to hip hop, including country and samba; places with a more intimate theme, others more stripped down; clubs for those who want to go out with friends or to date — for the heterosexual or LGBTQIA+ public.
Not to mention São Paulo’s most distinctive cuisine, with its array of bars and restaurants. Italian cantinas in Bixiga, Japanese restaurants in Liberdade, and steakhouses in Vila Olímpia are great options. There are also Arabian, Thai, African, Portuguese and vegetarian food options. There are over 20,000 establishments in the city.
For product specialist Gibran Sattaur, Veloso Bar is a mandatory stop for those who want to know São Paulo’s famous bar food.
“The atmosphere is very pleasant; they have a very nice outdoor area, with a summer afternoon vibe. It is a place where there is no live music. And the beer there is very good. And the coxinha [bread and fried chicken dumpling] is their main dish,” he says.
Douglas Aguillar values the possibility for people to get to know new flavors, with the large range of restaurants.
“That’s good because you learn another way to prepare the same food, to present a meal,” he says. Shows with world-renowned artists, and those seeking to rise in their careers, are also in plentiful supply throughout the city. Currently, São Paulo hosts Loolapalooza, in March, and starting this year it will have a second big music festival, The Town, later in 2023.
The metropolis is also the stage for great international tours. In March, for example, the band Coldplay — led by Chris Martin — had no less than six concerts here. And it’s not unusual to see Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters or Metallica performing here, as well.
For those who want to come to São Paulo and don’t know where to start getting to know the city, the tip is: look for the new, for what you can’t find in your hometown. And for a simple reason: São Paulo is so big that it has no end. Even those who have lived here for decades can learn about a new metropolis around the next corner.
For links to many of the destinations listed in this article, scan the code below: cultursmag.com/sao-paulo-the-city
For those who want to come to São Paulo and don’t know where to start getting to know the city, the tip is: look for the new, for what you can’t find in your hometown.
When you mention Cannes, most
people think “film festival.” Yet, this sparkling resort town on the French Riviera is home to another equally prestigious event: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Since 1954, this festival has celebrated creative excellence by bringing together the world’s top marketing and communications leaders and brands.
To be clear, winning a LION is like winning an Oscar. It’s a big deal.
I had the privilege of covering the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The experience was truly unforgettable! Here are a few highlights.
If you would have told me before attending Cannes Lions that I was going to have personal conversations with Google CMO Lorraine Twohill, singersongwriter Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, YouTuber Mark Rober and documentary film director Coodie Simmons (among many others), I would have laughed. I quickly learned that proximity to greatness is one of the biggest benefits of attending this festival.
The idea of proximity was best explained to me by Donald Knight, chief people officer for Greenhouse Software. Knight, who goes by @proximityknight online, shared how he came to value the idea of creating proximity with others to break down interpersonal barriers and amplify opportunity.
“In America, we talk about being a melting pot, but we haven’t started melting,” Knight says. “The majority of folks aren’t creating proximity with one another. The beauty of growing up with parents in the military [i.e. Military B.R.A.T.] is that I didn’t grow up with the same ‘American’ lens. I have a global
lens, which has helped me to create proximity with other people. Now I have a responsibility to help Americans do the same.
“One way I’ve done this is by hosting Proximity Dinners in Atlanta [Ga., U.S.A.], which I created with one of my best friends, Robin Moriarty,” he continues. “It’s based on the idea of exclusive inclusion. Everybody gets to invite one person they have proximity with. Once you get to the dinner, you have to create proximity with everyone else — you melt together, like a big bowl of gumbo. This creates amazing opportunities for everyone, but you have to be intentional about it.”
I took these words to heart, both during the festival and beyond. When we intentionally create proximity with others, we allow for serendipity to work its magic. A chance meeting can spark a lifelong friendship, a profound shift in understanding, or simply an unforgettable moment.
In America, we talk about being a melting pot, but we haven’t started melting.Photo by Jim Thirion on Unsplash.
Before I attended Cannes Lions, I had the idea that marketing was, in essence, manipulation. In other words, I believed the sole purpose of marketing was to get someone to buy something.
After my first hour at Cannes Lions, I realized what a narrow, misguided view I had taken.
I now see that marketing, when used with integrity, can be a powerful force for good. It can open minds, inspire change and foster community. Once I saw it, I couldn’t un-see it. And, fortunately for me, there was plenty to see.
While walking through the Cannes Lions Awards Hall of Fame, I was mesmerized by the creative force of marketers worldwide. One in particular that really blew my hair back was the “Share The Load” campaign, which was developed by BBDO of India for Procter & Gamble’s Ariel detergent. Josy Paul, chairperson and chief creative officer of BBDO India, explained how creativity drives meaningful action:
"When you have deep empathy — absolute connection with human beings — they give you something. And all you’re doing as a creative person is taking that gift through your own lens and giving it back to them. Therefore, you never have to sell an idea because it already resides in the person."
When I watched the “Share The Load” commercial, I wept. The story centers around a grandfather watching his adult daughter arrive home from work and immediately begin cleaning, cooking, tending to her son, handing her husband tea, and doing laundry — all while finishing a work conversation from her cell phone. It’s a typical story for many working mothers, yet seeing it through a regretful father’s eyes was so powerful.
The Ariel campaign, which featured a series of commercials, sparked a wave of gender bias conversations within India and around the world.
When you have deep empathy — absolute connection with human beings — they give you something. And all you’re doing as a creative person is taking that gift through your own lens and giving it back to them.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was a central theme during the festival. By improving the visibility of diverse groups and shining a light on underrepresented creative talent, brands are working to address global social inequalities.
On the first day of the festival, I discovered The Female Quotient’s Equality Lounge, where festivalgoers could mingle, relax and hear from distinguished speakers working to uplift the status of women, both as consumers and within the industry itself.
It was there that I met Chandra Guinn, executive director of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging at McKinney, who offered her words of wisdom.
“DEI is important, but belonging is the glue that holds it all together,” Guinn says. “Equity is just the beginning — it tries to right a wrong. The key is individual action, in community. If everybody is doing it then nobody is doing it alone. [Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion] is not a destination, it’s a continuum of getting better.”
Later in the week, I attended several panel discussions at the Bloomberg Media ESG House where speakers discussed topics around sustainability, innovation, inclusion and wealth creation. Ryan Reynolds spoke
about his uplifting Group Effort Initiative as well as his newly announced nonprofit “The Creative Ladder,” which aims to create pathways for a new generation of creative industry leaders from all backgrounds.
Ebony co-hosted a panel discussion on “Diverse Creators, Leaders and Owners in Media,” featuring Tracee Ellis Ross, actor, producer and CEO of Pattern Beauty, filmmakers Coodie & Chike, Ebony Editor-in-Chief Marielle Bobo and AdCouncil’s Chief Equity Officer Elise JamesDeCruise.
By improving the visibility of diverse groups and shining a light on underrepresented creative talent, brands are working to address global social inequalities.YouTube Global Director of Culture & Trends Kevin Alloca and YouTuber Mark Rober.
Tracee Ellis Ross spoke about how she lends her voice to increasing representation in the media.
“Representation is an integral part of who I am, so it finds its way into everything I do,” she says. “With Pattern, just the idea that we are a haircare brand for the curly, coily and tight-textured masses in and of itself is something that changes the narrative of how we are seen in the beauty industry.
“I wanted to see a paradigm shift in the way haircare products were marketed to our community,” Ross continues. “I wanted to offer a promise versus a solution to a problem because I don’t think our hair is a problem — it’s something to be celebrated.”
Of course, it wasn’t all “work” (was any of it?). There was plenty of time to relax and enjoy the slow flavors of the French Riviera. Perhaps because Cannes is in such close proximity to Italy, the gelato was incredible. I also enjoyed one of the best salad niçoise of my life (again, probably because Nice sits just to the east of Cannes).
Of course, food tastes best when you’re in good company. Culturs Founder Doni Aldine and I savored the flavors together.
In case you’re reading this from the Palais des Festivals, perhaps we’ll bump into one another. I’ll be back again to bring you more incredible content from the 70th International Festival of Creativity on June 19-23, 2023.
Stay tuned!
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cultursmag.com/behind-the-scenes-at-the-cannes
Representation is an integral part of who I am, so it finds its way into everything I do.CULTURS columnist Andrea Bazoin and filmmaker Coodie Simmons.
With the new “Indiana Jones” movie
due out this summer, the debate on whether artifacts belong in Western museums or in their home countries goes ever on.
While museums and nations argue over ownership, stolen artifacts wait for their return to their native cultures.
With the annual Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art uses this time to showcase its new fashion exhibit. Museums across the world benefit from additional visitations through occasions like this.
At the same time, stolen artifacts also gain more scrutiny. Stolen during raids and times of conflict, these artifacts stay behind display cases in Western nations away from their home cultures and peoples.
Chika Okeke-Agula is a Nigerian artist, art curator and historian who teaches at Princeton University in New Jersey, U.S.A.
“Think about what this is implying: that some kid from Nigeria can always go to the British Museum or the Metropolitan Museum … to look at Benin bronzes,” Okeke-Agula said to Padraig Moran for CBC radio.
A longstanding defense for removing cultural properties is termed “rescue.” There are some who argue that artifacts are safer from periodic conflict in Western museums. Many objects shown in museums like the Rosetta Stone or the Bust of Nefertiti are examples.
“It’s hard to take the concept of ‘rescue’ seriously, although there are recent cases when Islamic terrorists, as in Mali, have attempted to destroy [Muslim] shrines and texts housed in places like Timbuktu. In this
While museums and nations argue over ownership, stolen artifacts wait for their return to their native cultures.
case, it was African libraries who protected those artifacts,” says Thaddeus Sunseri, a professor of African History for Colorado State University.
Sunseri believes the British Museum and other Western curators understand the significance of these artifacts for collections and tourism, therefore becoming reluctant to return them.
“The major museums of the world that ‘own’ and display looted Holocaust art and/or the spoils of war or trophies of colonialism … are no longer part of an academic debate,” Michael Reppas writes. “Instead, they are finding themselves as defendants in high-powered and high-staked lawsuits where their entire collections are on the line.”
As a Colorado State University art student, Quinn Ocheltree sees the blurred line between artifact and art. Societal views often dictate the treatment of these objects and their cultural value.
A longstanding defense for removing cultural properties is termed “rescue.”Two Benin Bronzes in London’s British Museum. Photo courtesy of English-speaking Wikipedia user Warofdreams, CC BY-SA
“It’s like taking away part of their culture, part of their history,” Ocheltree said. “How can they celebrate these objects as art or as part of their history when they’re not even in the country?”
From the 1880s to the late 20th century, European colonizers stole African artifacts as spoils of conquest. African leaders had their heads severed as trophies, works like the Benin Bronzes entered European museums, and often anthropologists collected bones to study evolution or support racist and eugenic theories.
Sometimes, westernized museums still demean African heritage by using these artifacts to show backwardness and a “savior” ideology of colonizers.
Places like the National Museum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Sunseri conducts research, curate artifacts from several surrounding cultures. Many African states didn’t become nations until recent decades, but the celebration of multi-ethnic cultures has aided in building national identities.
Sentiment for the preservation of cultures is growing, especially for younger generations.
“It’s really cool to see [these artifacts] because we’re coming into this age where we’re sharing cultures a lot more but at the same time, it’s like, how many of these objects are there? And should they be in their original countries or not?” Ocheltree says.
Many museums are considering digital collections as alternatives for these pieces. It’s still unclear when or if these artifacts will return home in favor of these digital substitutions.
To view more photos of ancient art in Western museums, scan the code below: cultursmag.com/stolen-prizes-should-exotic
Sentiment for the preservation of cultures is growing, especially for younger generations.The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.
e cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, and affection. Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can be cultivated between two people only when it exists within each one of them — we can love others only as much as we love ourselves.”
— Brené Brown, “Atlas of the Heart”
True love begins within you, and it’s something that many of us aren’t taught. We’re often brought up with the idea that others must love us before we can truly love ourselves, but this simply isn’t true.
True love is an inside job. Yup, that’s right. That means you have to do the work to feel love. In other words, you have to master self-love to attain true love.
Learning how to love and appreciate yourself first is essential to achieve an authentic, lasting kind of true love. This means taking the time to get to know yourself — your desires, values and goals. Think about setting aside six to 12 months to date yourself. It sounds a little weird, but it’s a fantastic way to shift your mindset into getting to know yourself authentically.
What does dating yourself even look like? Where do you start? Let’s break it down a bit.
We can all improve how we speak to ourselves. You know that inner voice that likes to critique everything you do. Remember, perfect doesn’t exist. With that in mind, filter your inner critic accordingly.
Let’s use the word “no” as an example. It’s the word that most folks struggle with. “No” is a whole sentence on its own. Practice saying it. Teach the people around you how to respect your no.
What does this mean?
For example, imagine you’re at a family dinner.
• Host: “Do you want some more mac and cheese?”
• You: “No, thank you.”
• Host: “You barely ate; here’s a small scoop.”
• You: “I appreciate your love, but please respect my initial no.”
Asking loved ones to respect your no will be challenging, but they’ll learn that when you say “no,” it means “no.”
Remember, perfect doesn’t exist. With that in mind, filter your inner critic accordingly.
We all set boundaries, but most of us don’t hold ourselves or others accountable to those boundaries.
Think about it: How often have you said “no” but ended up doing it anyway? Over time, you’ve trained your audience that the word “no” means “yes” in your vocabulary. Words matter! How you define them matters even more.
Learning to be happy alone will also help build self-love and appreciation, instead of relying on other people or activities to validate your worthiness.
Being alone scares most people. Society has told us it means we’re not loved and aren’t worthy of attention. Wrong!
Being alone is where the magic happens. It’s where you exercise your inner force and amplify your power. You can’t do this work with outside distractions. You need quiet and solitude.
Spending time alone gives you time to process your thoughts and gain clarity. Some ways to practice being alone are salt float therapy, going on a solo hike, booking a weekend solo trip or meditation.
The whole point of practicing being alone is to learn how to provide for yourself. Internally satisfying your desire for love, attention and abundance. Filling your soul with a greater sense of gratitude and self-worth.
Over time, this sacred time you spend with yourself pursuing passions that have nothing to do with getting approval from anyone else will give you a strong sense of self-worth and allow your inner light to shine through without needing external validation from others.
The more we take care of our emotional needs first — by being introspective about our feelings and reactions — the better equipped we are to handle any setbacks life throws our way with resilience and grace. Then, when
The more we take care of our emotional needs first — by being introspective about our feelings and reactions — the better equipped we are to handle any setbacks life throws our way with resilience and grace.
we find “the one,” we have a greater capacity for giving genuine love without becoming emotionally co-dependent on our partner as our sole source of happiness or validation.
Emotions are a form of energy. Positive emotions release good chemicals in our bodies and replenish our energy. Negative ones find pockets in our bodies and hide, showing up later as aches, pains or even diseases. Feeling and acknowledging our emotions is significant.
Allowing negative emotions to move through and out of our bodies is essential. This can be done with journaling, salt float therapy, screaming in the shower, hiring a coach or therapist, grounding in nature, meditation and many other ways.
The more we take care of our emotional needs first — by being introspective about our feelings and reactions — the better equipped we are to handle any setbacks life throws our way with resilience and grace.
Get curious about your emotions. Ask questions. Why does this feel good? How do I repeat this emotion? Is this an external response or an internal one? Do I have control? Can I change the outcome?
Get to know your body. Start by listening and asking it questions. Am I hungry, or do I need to hydrate? Am I tired or bored? Learn how to be present and feel what your body is feeling.
Nourish your body with a minimum of 30 different plants a week. Diversify where your nutrients are coming from. Pay attention to how foods make your body feel. Learn how to disconnect emotions from your food. For example, “let’s get donuts to celebrate,” or “it’s been a rough day, let’s get donuts.”
Stay away from SOS (sugar, oils, and salt), which are in all packaged foods. Try to eat singleingredient items.
Find ways to move your body with yoga, weights, cardio, hiking, breath work and anything else that gets your blood flowing. Our bodies are meant to move throughout the day. Body vibration plates and massage therapy are great ways to work your muscles.
Get to know your body. Start by listening and asking it questions.
Sleep is essential in healing and reenergizing the body. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep daily. Figure out what your sweet spot is and prioritize it. Try not to eat three to four hours before bed. Turn off all
Find ways to move your body with yoga, weights, cardio, hiking, breath work and anything else that gets your blood flowing.
screens one hour before. Develop a night routine to unwind your mind for better sleep. This might take a few tries before you find a way that works for you that’s totally normal.
Your words define who you are, your beliefs and your selfworth. Words bring to life how we see success and speak our truth. They are powerful and must be chosen with love and respect.
Soul work is a lonely road. Get comfortable being with yourself. It’s your superpower. Build that muscle with love and intention. Stand firmly in your power and honor yourself. You are sacred, worthy and loved.
Your emotions are knowledge. Get to know them. Name them so you can tame them. Your body is a temple. Nourish it. Exercise it. Pamper it.
Allow your body to rest and heal daily. Give yourself permission to love your mind, body and spirit. You only have one life. Let this one be your BEST life.
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From shows to watch and songs to hear, to artistry, shopping and things to explore, know and do, here’s a specially curated list of things we recommend as MUST experience items for the culturally fluid.
As fans waited for her new album to drop, in April
Jayli Wolfreleased the single “Holding On,” a haunting song about self-love and self-discovery.
On her Instagram account, Wolf writes: “Art can bring meaning to pain in a way that not much else can. I’m so grateful for the ability to explore my feelings through creating, and what a blessing to do it alongside my closest friends.”
Wolf’s own label, ALT EDEN, will release her new album this summer. Wolf is an Indigenous (Anishinaabe and Cree) queer artist, singer, poet, actress and Juno Award nominee.
Wolf is originally from Creston, British Columbia, Canada. In November 2021, she’s quoted on MTV.com about how her culture affected her music.
“A lot of Indigenous people are displaced from their biological family,” she says in the interview. “So for me to be able to find them and come back home was really healing for me; very, very cathartic when I went to write [music] about that.
“Reclaiming my culture has definitely made me feel like I’m home,” she continues. “For the last four years, I’ve really worked on reclamation, and part of my identity has been coming through music. I just wrote a song using stories from my grandmother as well as my identity with my dad being a part of the Sixties Scoop.
“These things come out in music because they’ve been things that I’m trying to navigate. As we get to know ourselves more, the music is gonna change,” she says.
Wolf is a 2022 Juno Award nominee. She has earned spots on Apple’s 100 Best Songs of 2021, and CBC top 10 Canadian Songs 2021 lists, a No. 1 on CBC Radio One, and over 1+ million views on YouTube for the “Child of The Government” selfdirected music video. Wolf has been featured in VOGUE (Global), NYLON, Rolling Stone, CBC and many more outlets.
For more info about Jayli Wolf, scan the code below: cultursmag.com/critically-acclaimed-indigenous-
Reclaiming my culture has definitely made me feel like I’m home. For the last four years, I’ve really worked on reclamation, and part of my identity has been coming through music.
It’s 2123 and everyone who can afford them has gene enhancements in the Asian Federation.
Protagonist Lee Urban doesn’t have any enhancements but is adopted into the high society of New Beijing, where everyone boasts a genetic nip or tuck.
This is the storyline from the newly released “Enhanced” by Young Adult author Candace Kade. The book touches on futurism and tech, standard fare in many compelling sci-fi stories.
The novel also touches on identity and belonging, all familiar themes for Kade, who grew up as a Third Culture Kid (TCK). Kade’s
parents moved from Ohio, U.S.A. to Changsha, the capital of the Hunan Province of China when she was 4 years old, and she spent her formative years between parts of China and the U.S. Her family eventually settled down in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan Province of China.
For “Enhanced,” Kade pulled from her experiences shuttling between China and the United States.
Culturs asked Kade to offer more details about how she built the world of “Enhanced” in a Q&A. She provided these emailed responses:
How does the TCK experience flavor the world you created for your book?
Being a TCK has impacted the world of “Enhanced” in two ways. First, the main character, Lee Urban, wrestles with finding home, identity and belonging.
In “Enhanced,” the Asian Federation is divided sharply by those who have genetic enhancements, or the Enhanced, and those without, called Naturals.
Urban is a Natural by birth but is adopted into the high society of the Enhanced. She must pretend to be Enhanced, for the safety of
What I’ve learned over the years is that as a TCK, I have the unique ability to bridge cultures.
her family, but feels like a constant fraud. However, among the Naturals, she also feels out of place. She’s never spent time living with them and doesn’t understand their way of life.
Urban’s struggle was very much my own as a TCK.
Growing up in China, I never quite felt like I belonged. Even though I spoke the language, went to the local Chinese school, wore the same uniform, celebrated the same holidays and lived similarly to a Chinese person, I always felt like I was never “Asian enough.” Because of my hair and skin color, I always stuck out.
When I returned to the U.S. for university, I also didn’t feel like I belonged. Even though I looked like I could be American, and technically I was born there, I had spent so little of my life there. It felt like a foreign country.
What I’ve learned over the years is that as a TCK, I have the unique ability to bridge cultures.
I wanted to write a book both Americans and Chinese alike could relate to and love. The feedback I’ve received so far is that my Asian readers find “Enhanced” very accurate and love the world, and that my Western readers have learned a lot about Chinese culture. I love that I get to help build cultural understanding through my unique upbringing.
Why do you think the TCK experience is important to depict in the sci-fi genre?
I wanted to weave a story of intrigue, action and mystery while also showing a hero struggling with her background. But I didn’t want that TCK struggle to be the primary focal point of the story. As someone from two cultures, my life is not simply about my struggle to fit in. I wanted to show a story where the story was about a TCK living a grand adventure that was not solely about finding identity and belonging but those things complemented the story of adventure. That story, I believed, was best told against the backdrop of sci-fi.
I [also] love getting to showcase my TCK experience in the sci-fi genre because I’ve never seen it done. Growing up, all the stories I read were about people from monolithic cultures. It was very difficult for me to find stories about people like me, who belonged to or came from more than one culture.
As an adult, I began to find more stories written by multicultural authors, and I loved it! But what I still hadn’t found were tales of grand adventures like “Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” or “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” with people like me in them.
I wanted to weave a story of intrigue, action and mystery while also showing a hero struggling with her background.
AI and DNA manipulation are technologies that are here to stay. They are neither good nor evil but have great potential for both.
Speculative fiction stories with multicultural characters still seemed to be missing and I wanted to fill that gap. I set out to write a story in a futuristic world with a character who struggled like I did growing up but who also found hope, home and happiness along the way.
Based on the Amazon description, you talk about DNA and artificial intelligence in your book — big subjects everywhere right now. What’s your underlying motivation for using DNA manipulation and AI as part of your story?
AI and DNA manipulation are technologies that are here to stay. They are neither good nor evil but have great potential for both. My hope is that readers will pay more attention to these technologies and help to create and pass regulations that will enable AI and DNA editing to be used for noble purposes.
With CRISPR gene editing technology, scientists and researchers are able to replace people’s DNA. “Enhanced” is taking that concept and extrapolating it into the future. It’s asking the question, “What will our world look like if future generations of parents can select the DNA they want for the children?”
CRISPR is currently mostly used for treating cancer and sickle cell anemia patients. However, more researchers are beginning to push the boundaries of science to see if we can alter humans’ DNA in vitro. That’s where I think we enter a slippery slope that can lead to the “designer babies” depicted in “Enhanced.”
In my story, I wanted to acknowledge these trends but not in the classic doomsday sort of way. I wanted to show how both of these technologies were being used for both good and evil. I hope I’ve given our current society a glimpse of what could be if we’re not paying close attention to what’s going on around us.
“Enhanced” is book one in The Hybrid Series and includes a discussion guide for TCKs.
The Culturs Awards celebrate the best and brightest of our inbetween community. From Third Culture Kids and Military B.R.A.T.s, to immigrants, mixedrace, multi-ethnic and Expats, we want to uplift and amplify the brightest minds, talents and visions of those often overlooked.
Whom do you want to celebrate? Nominate the best of the in-between at CultursMag.com/CultursAwards.
From Military B.R.A.T. Deidre Hardin, who designed the CULTURS AWARD:
As an artist, the spark of creativity is fickle at best. I tend to start a concept, set it aside, then come back when it calls for my attention.
I spent a day playing with ideas meant to express the meaning of the CULTURS award. Keywords like belonging, family, culture and food were some of the broad concepts I considered. By the evening, I had drained my mental toolbox and settled down to listen to an audiobook. “The Alchemist,” by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, was to be the catalyst that brought my efforts into fruition.
My initial hesitation was with using copper to create the piece, my assumption being the award should be an elaborate material. This anxiety was swiftly laid to rest after a few sentences in the book stated, “There is no need for iron to be the same as copper or copper the same as gold … copper and iron have their own legends to fulfill.”
Birthed from this unexpected inspiration came “The Alchemist Heart,” the title for the copper heart sculpture. The book is a metaphor for life: A story about a personal journey and how to listen to your heart and follow your dreams.
The secrets of alchemy are said to exist on a small emerald tablet that can’t be expressed in words. The Alchemist can transmute lead into gold and uses a solvent called the elixir of life to cure all ills.
The chaotically twisted copper design is an interpretation of a personal journey through travel, decisions and career paths. The top of the heart is left open to represent one’s courage to embark upon their possibilities. Therefore, I placed the faux emerald that symbolized the Philosopher’s Stone as the eye of the fish.
The fish symbolized not only food but a biblical proportion in sharing a skill with others. The base, as referenced in the book, can be the elixir of life or the oceans of the world.
As a whole, the piece may be interpreted as ocean-crossed global citizens who find home, happiness and belonging within their hearts. No heart suffers while pursuing its dreams using lessons learned in discovering its legend.
Ultimately, there is no magic panacea to one’s heart’s desire.
Jully Black changed one word.
A conjunction to a preposition.
Black, a singer, songwriter, actress and Juno Award winner, made history in early 2023 when she sang Canada’s national anthem but changed the line “O Canada! Our home and native land” to “O Canada! Our home on native land.”
Black, a singer, songwriter, actress and Juno Award winner, made history in early 2023 when she sang Canada’s national anthem but changed the line “O Canada! Our home and native land” to “O Canada! Our home on native land.”
Black, a platinum-selling R&B recording artist who has written songs for Nas and Destiny’s Child, acknowledged the presence of Indigenous peoples who lived on the land before European settlers arrived.
After being invited to sing at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A., Black says she wondered how she could make the moment meaningful.
“How do I make this opportunity impactful for all of Canada, like I’m representing Canada?” Black says in an interview with CBC/Radio Canada. “To me, it’s like the Olympics of anthems.
“I went through the anthem word for word,” she continues. “I just didn’t feel right, and I followed the feeling ... You know there’s appropriation, then there’s appreciation. So that’s when I
I contacted a few of my friends who are Indigenous. Getting their blessing is what made me go through with it.
contacted a few of my friends who are Indigenous. Getting their blessing is what made me go through with it. Because had I not received their blessing, it would have been, it would have felt self-serving.”
Black’s word change in Canada’s national anthem gained international interest. Most of all, it led to a formal recognition of Black by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in a blanketing ceremony during its Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, Canada. Black also received an eagle feather. Here’s an excerpt from the opening remarks from National Chief RoseAnne Archibald:
“What’s undeniable is we’ve shattered the myth of Canada as a beacon of human rights. In fact, Amnesty International’s Annual Report recently called the state of Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Canada ... ‘a national disgrace.’ After decades of shouting this, the world has finally heard our protest! Even the Catholic church, exactly one year since our delegation travelled to Rome, repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery this week. The truth has been set free. Now, our allies also feel empowered to say the truth and say it loudly. And sing it loudly, too.
“We’re so honored to have Jully Black in the room with us today. As an artist, Jully is a Truth-Teller and part of the conscience of society. She created an energic shift in February for how she sang, O Canada: ‘Our home ON native land.’ She
shifted consciousness with just one word — and for simply singing the Truth! Today, there’s legitimate discussion about changing that word in our national anthem permanently. Meegwetch Jully for your courage and intuition.”
Black says on her Instagram page about the AFN honor: “Thank you National Chief and the @assemblyoffirstnations I am deeply honoured and humbled to be embraced and celebrated for my desire to be a bridge builder, community connector. I only Now do I understand and know that it took bravery and courage to change that word… I 100% didn’t do it for me… I know my late Mommy @badgyalmackee is smiling from the heavens.”
At the end of the post, Black, whom CBC Music selected as one of “The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever,” added the hashtag #HomeOnNativeLand.
What’s undeniable is we’ve shattered the myth of Canada as a beacon of human rights. In fact, Amnesty International’s Annual Report recently called the state of Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Canada ... ‘a national disgrace.’
Anew feature documentary, “Steph Curry: Underrated,”
captures the coming-of-age story of NBA superstar Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The documentary depicts Curry’s emergence as an undersized player who dominated in college and who now reigns with his teammates as one of the most successful teams in NBA history.
Curry, a four-time NBA champion who has used his platform to address race-related issues, will have his story directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Nicks.
Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Ryan Coogler of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Creed” fame and his wife Zinzi Coogler are among the producers.
In a KQED interview, Nicks shares how the recordings and interviews with Curry happened.
“It was several months prior to last year’s season,” Nicks says. “I met with Steph and explained to him my philosophy of storytelling, which involves observation without filming: hanging out and understanding the ecosystem. If it’s an institution, I spend time with doctors, nurses, patients. In this case, it was with Steph and his family. In a way, he has become his own Bay Area institution, a superstar.
“How can we make a film about a very well-known athlete that feels unique? Immediately, the first time I met Steph, he got his phone out and started sharing photos and videos from college,” Nick says in the interview. “He just lit up and you could sense a nostalgia for that moment in his life. You got the sense that this piece of the story hadn’t really been told.”
A “Rolling Stone” article says that one of the film’s high points is when Curry and fellow NBA superstar and former teammate
Kevin Durant joke about their first meeting as kids.
They were both about 10 years old. Durant thought Curry was white because of his skin tone. But, most of all, the young Curry’s shooting and scoring stunned Durant.
It would be the first of many meetings between the legendary pure shooter versus the legendary elite scorer.
Apple TV+ will release “Steph Curry: Underrated” on July 21.
Curry, a four-time NBA champion who has used his platform to address race-related issues, will have his story directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Nicks.Ayesha Curry, Stephen Curry and Sonya Curry attend the world premiere pre-reception of Apple Original Films and A24’s “Stephen Curry: Underrated” at Tuplelo at Sundance Film Festival 2023. Photo courtesy of Stewart Cook.
MAY HELP IDENTIFY FAMILY HISTORY, BUT SOME USERS FACE
In the early summer of 2018, I received my highly anticipated results from a home
genetic testing kit purchased through AncestryDNA.com. I became very excited and couldn’t wait to see my results. From a very young age, I would hear stories about my family’s diverse, multiracial and multiethnic backgrounds — some born from a legacy of enslavement and others through European immigration into my home culture.
As expected, my maternal side results confirmed many of the family heritage legends and revealed ethnicities and locations that I had no knowledge about.
I was very hopeful I would both confirm and learn how close to reality these stories were. More importantly, I might discover where on the African continent I hailed from.
As expected, my maternal side results confirmed many of the family heritage legends and revealed ethnicities and locations that I had no knowledge about. These results were even more fascinating than the stories I had been told: 17 ethnicities, including West, East and North Africa, Northern and Southern Europe, Asia and Pacific Islander ancestry.
Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann from PixabayHowever, these results also revealed discoveries that were unexpected and did not match what I knew about my paternal side.
When reviewing my ethnicity and inheritance locations, I immediately noticed something odd. My results showed zero percentage Native American or Indigenous ancestry, and the country of Mexico was not circled on my inheritance location maps, as I had presumed would be the case. It was puzzling, because a few weeks earlier, my paternal first cousin had called to share her results about our racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Strikingly, none of what she had disclosed about our heritage was shown in my DNA story. I noticed names listed in my DNA matches that I didn’t recognize. I franticly searched for my cousin in my list. Her name wasn’t there. I thought to myself: “That can’t be. There has to be an error.”
Deep down, however, I knew I had stumbled onto something that would rock the foundation of my identity. I had genetically opened Pandora’s box.
As this truth began to emerge in my thoughts, my phone rang. It was my cousin letting me know she had received the email for the DNA test that she administered for my father. I could hear the
shift in her voice and tone from our previous conversation. Tearfully, I asked if my name was showing as a match in his results. She confirmed the conclusion that I was already beginning to draw: I was not listed in his matches, nor hers.
I froze!
In less than 10 minutes, I learned that my father was not my biological parent. In a flash, 50% of my identity as I knew it was shattered. I was utterly devastated, as was my birth certificate parent.
If I am not who I thought I was, then Who Am I, NOW?!Photo courtesy of Jodi Girard.
When I made the decision to take the genetic test for fun, I had no idea that it would lead to the discovery of my deceased mother’s long-held secret and the unraveling of my identity as I knew it. The burning question became, “If I am not who I thought I was, then Who Am I, NOW?!
Access to direct-to-consumer DNA tests and analyses, such as AncestryDNA, 23andMe My Heritage and FamilyTree DNA are becoming increasingly popular around the globe. In 2019, it was estimated that more than 26 million people have taken an at-home DNA test. According to the 2021 World Consumer DNA (Genetic) Testing Market Report,
it was estimated that around 100 million kits were sold in 2021, with a forecasted annual growth rate of 12.25%. The report projected an estimated over $US1 billion in earnings by 2026.
Commercial genetic testing kits are marketed and sold to consumers who self-select the genetic testing company of their choice “for a multitude of reasons, ranging from learning about their ancestry, to receiving personalized information about health risks.”
“While at-home genetic testing can be helpful in identifying ancestry markers and genetic matches to others, it can also reveal surprising information not anticipated by the consumer. Some will discover that they are not biologically related to a presumed parent. These occurrences are known as NonPaternal Events in the conventional genetic testing field, or Not Parent Expected (NPE), to describe individuals who discover they are not biologically related to their father or mother. NPE results can be the result of several scenarios, including misattributed paternity/maternity, adoption, and donor conception (Heilman, 2022).” (This Culturs article uses Not Parent Expected as the preferred usage.)
A recent study (Chen, et.al,) cited “estimates that range from less than 1% to over 10%
(International Society of Genetic Genealogy, 2022). Recently, Guerrini et al surveyed 23,196 people who used the DTC service FamilyTreeDNA and found that 5% of participants discovered an unexpected biological parent of any gender (Guerrini et al, 2022).”
Though the foundation of my world had been utterly rocked, I soon discovered that I was not alone.
While at-home genetic testing can be helpful in identifying ancestry markers and genetic matches to others, it can also reveal surprising information not anticipated by the consumer. Some will discover that they are not biologically related to a presumed parent.
In 2017, NPE Fellowship Founder Catherine St. Clair made her unexpected DNA discovery.
“It’s felt like an earthquake had cracked my foundation, and I had lost my stable grounding,” says St. Clair. Many in her life did not understand the emotional turmoil that she was experiencing at the discovery of learning that her “daddy was not her dad.” She felt lost and alone and began to wonder if there were others like her: “Surely, I can’t be the only one going through this.”
After searching for emotional support to assist with her NPE journey, and failing to find anything online, she started the NPE Friends Fellowship Facebook group. Within one week, the group had 20 members. St. Claire realized the impact on the lives of NPEs worldwide, and that there were too few resources to support NPEs and their families. Determined that more must be done to help, St. Claire launched the NPE Friends Fellowship organization in 2018.
When I discovered and joined the group after reading an article about St. Claire and the NPE Facebook group, they had already grown to over 1,000 members by their first anniversary in 2018. The group now has over 11,000 members.
Brianne Kirkpatrick, a genetic counselor at 23andMe and the founder of Watershed DNA says: “The larger the DNA databases grow, the more unexpected discoveries impact individuals and ripple outward, sometimes through multiple generations of the family. We are already in a new era in which DNA findings become a piece of information that builds our identity. It’s already an experience millions of people
In a 2022 research study conducted by Michele Grethel, she identified that “Identity
transformation after unexpected DNA results is often accompanied by intense change in personal and community identity and a shift in identity related to race, ethnicity, religion, family status, belonging or other facets of oneself.”
In her seminal research study, genetic counselor Julia Becker found that the NPE event has a strong impact on identity and experiences of grief and loss were numerous.
have had.”
As in my personal ‘lifequake’ experience, the discovery of one’s NPE status results in revealing long-held secrets that can shake our most profound beliefs about our family history and identity.
Many shared that they had been unable to find therapists or other helping professionals who were able to understand this very traumatic life event and the profound impact it had on their lives and sense of self.
As in my personal “lifequake” experience, the discovery of one’s NPE status results in revealing long-held secrets that can shake our most profound beliefs about our family history and identity.
When I attempted to speak to family and friends about my experience and the enormous pain, it was very hard for them to understand. They were unable to provide the support I needed. They would say well-intentioned statements like “blood doesn’t make family, your dad is still your dad” or “nothing’s changed.”
For me, everything changed.
I spent hours in isolation and many sleepless nights trying to grasp this emotionally painful experience. In these dark hours of distress, I attempted to process my emotions, often with the not always understanding, but compassionately supportive help from my devoted spouse. I ultimately developed an NPE Identity Disruption Trauma Recovery Model™ as a tool to help me sort through my experience of confusion, feelings of betrayal, grief and loss.
When I presented this concept at the first NPE Fellowship retreat conference, it was well received. Attendees shared that the concept was instrumental in helping them recognize the intense roller coaster of emotions that they were experiencing was a trauma response to an event outside of their control.
Photo courtesy of Jodi Girard. Jodi Girard.Many shared that they had been unable to find therapists or other helping professionals who were able to understand this very traumatic life event and the profound impact it had on their lives and sense of self.
Fellow NPE Jodi Girard grew up Caucasian in a small city in Iowa. Like thousands of others, a DNA kit uncovered her family secret, and it profoundly unraveled her identity. Not only was her beloved Caucasian dad not her biological parent, she discovered that her actual biological father was African American.
“I was absolutely in shock,” she says. “It was like someone taking the book of my life and ripping all the pages out, throwing them up in the air and adding a bunch of pages that contain characters that I don’t know and describing events that I wasn’t a part of, but am related to now due to my DNA discovery. Even though the mirror had been telling me the truth for years, I couldn’t believe my parents had lied to me for 45 years. I was told I looked like my dad’s side. Some have dark hair and tan in the summer but did not have a black skin tone.”
“Following my discovery, I looked in the mirror and for the first time, I could make sense of what I had been seeing all along,” she continues. “For people like me, there is so much grief and confusion. I grieve the culture
that was kept from me, and I’m totally lost as to how to embrace it now as an adult, who is fully integrated into the monoracial identity that I had been led to believe was mine. This NPE experience is like losing a loved one while at the same time welcoming in a stranger into your innermost parts of yourself.”
“Now, I am left with the task of picking up all the pages and must put them back in some sort of order that makes sense,” according to Girard. “And these pages now don’t seem to go
Following my discovery, I looked in the mirror and for the first time, I could make sense of what I had been seeing all along.Photo courtesy of Jodi Girard.
together, at least not logically, yet. Do I throw some pages out? Does it make sense to keep all the pages of this new family history that I didn’t live? It’s just crazy, even now that I’m four years out, it is still hard to get people to understand how emotionally traumatic this loss (or change) of race and ethnicity can be.”
If you’re an NPE, you’re not alone. Taking care of your mental health through practices such as physical exercise and meditation can be very helpful. You may also consider:
• Seeking out the support of a knowledgeable therapist or trauma informed coach, that specializes in working with the NPE community. Also find NPE support groups, communities and supportive people who can walk with you as you navigate the shock, chaos and confusion of this often-traumatizing experience. Please be aware that the pain and loss that NPEs experience is very real. It can be overwhelming and can leave an NPE feeling broken at their core. Too often, well-meaning but insensitive comments from family, friends, doctors and even therapists add to the grief and trauma of this upending experience. Avoid language that increases the sense of loss:
• Advice such as, “blood doesn’t
make family, “you’re still the same person,” “he’s still your dad,” “you’ll get over it,” “this doesn’t change anything,” “it doesn’t make a difference in you are,” “it’s not a big deal, get over it!” can come across as insensitive, invoke shame or lead the NPE to isolate even more due to their grief experience being disenfranchised.
Organizations that provide emotional, educational and practical support include: The NPE Friends Fellowship and The International Association of Trauma Recovery Coaches for a list of certified NPE Trauma Recovery Coaches. You can also contact other trauma-informed organizations to find licensed therapists and resources to help you navigate the NPE experience.”
For links to the resources mentioned in this story, scan the code below:
cultursmag.com/family-secrets-revealed
Please be aware that the pain and loss that NPEs experience is very real. It can be overwhelming and can leave an NPE feeling broken at their core.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people — or
one in six people worldwide — experience significant disability. And, although many technology companies have created tools to make daily life more accessible for those experiencing a disability, this population often remains invisible in the world of advertising and marketing.
Google is trying to change that, "When you see yourself and your community represented authentically in ads and marketing, it means there’s a place for you in society. Most importantly, it means that there are people like you out there that exist and you’re not alone." -Voice narration from video, All In: Building accessible and disabilityinclusive creative | Google That’s the mission behind All In, Google’s recent effort to hold itself accountable to inclusive marketing standards while making it easier for others to do the same.
Six key principles guide the All In Inclusive Marketing framework:
• The makeup of your team matters.
• Know whose stories are missing.
• Real stories are nuanced, and nuance creates authenticity.
• Think about inclusion early and often.
• Stereotypes are harmful and boring.
• Understand your brand's role.
To create work that reflects the world, we need to be all in.
— Lorraine Twohill, Chief Marketing Officer of Google
Google’s Chief Marketing Officer Lorraine Twohill explains that inclusive marketing may not be more efficient, but it is more effective.
“There is a steep learning curve [for marketers] in the early stages, which is exactly why we created the guidelines [for] All In,” she says. “They were used by us, internally, first. Then, we took six months to develop them and bring them to all of our agencies, making it easier for them [to implement]. When we’ve gotten [inclusive marketing] right, we are seeing our work resonating more — especially with younger audiences. I think there is zero debate that we really have to get this right if we want our audiences to get excited about what we stand for and who we are.”
Culturs learned about Google’s All In inclusive marketing playbook while attending the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France — the largest annual gathering of the world’s top creatives, marketing professionals and advertising agencies. Culturs Founder Doni Aldine followed Twohill’s remarks at Cannes with this question: “How do you represent those who identify as in-between — who are culturally fluid and/or geographically mobile — within the All In framework?”
“We know that intersectionality and the spaces in between really matter,” Twohill explains, “and we do cover that in All In. We measure [intersectionality] and train people on what it means so that we don’t end up with only very traditional [diversity] tropes and think we can feel good about ourselves.
“We have to work harder to be fully inclusive so that everyone sees themselves,” he continues. “We even include work on the website that we don’t think nailed it to help people understand exactly what we mean [by intersectionality]. That’s how we learn.”
Brand Marketing Strategist and Inclusive Marketing Lead Raphael Diallo explains how Google developed the All In standards.
“From the very beginning, we recognized that we needed to provide advice to shape our campaigns and help our partner agencies,” Diallo says. “So, we started reaching out to organizations that were advocating for specific communities, [then] advertising partners like Cannes
Lions [and others]. All In is very robust, but really started as a blank piece of paper.”
Diallo further shares his own cross-cultural identity: “I’m the son of an immigrant from West Africa and a white American. I’m also a gay man. Growing up, it was always difficult to place myself in a box. I’ve often reflected on my own identity and what people might see in me. My hope with sharing All In is that we can create a ripple effect — helping other brands create content that helps everyone feel included.”
Today, All In provides audience insights for eliminating stereotypes across many different groups, including:
• Age
• Asian Americans
• Black people
• Indigenous people
• Latinos/Latinx
• LGBTQ+ people
• Disabled people
• Plus-size people
• Socioeconomic status
• Trans/Gender expansive
• S. Veterans
• Women
It’s an incredibly useful tool for anyone interested in creating inclusive content. To learn more, visit https://google.com/all-in.
To access Google's All In program, scan the code below: cultursmag.com/representation-in-advertising-
Growing up, it was always difficult to place myself in a box.