ROYAL OAK (WWJ) Parents in Royal Oak are pushing back over a memo sent home asking them to be aware of cultural and religious appropriation this Halloween.
Dr. Kimberly Martin, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Royal Oak school district, spoke to WWJ’s Jon Hewett.
“Your intent may not have been to hurt anyone, but the impact on that person could be devastating,” Martin said.
In a recent article, Good Housekeeping defined cultural appropriation as: “when a person from one culture adopts the fashion, iconography, trends or styles from a culture that's not their own.” Generally, it does not apply to European cultures — but Asian, African, Black, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern.
Healthline takes that definition a step further, saying it happens when a person does not “ask permission or does not credit the source culture.” It adds “misuse” is also a common aspect of cultural appropriation.
The Healthline article stated cultural appropriation is harmful because "it contributes to ongoing oppression and exploitation of other cultures. By contributing to misleading and harmful stereotypes, it prevents opportunities for true understanding and cultural exchange.”
In the memo sent home to the Royal Oak school district parents, Martin asked parents to examine the following points before dressing their children.
● Does the costume make a reference to a culture that is not my own? (a headdress, turban, or kimono).
● Does the costume include religious or spiritual symbols?
● Does the costume require you or your child to change the color of their skin to resemble someone? (You can dress as Beyoncé for example without coloring your skin).
● Does the costume represent a stereotype or generalization about a group of people (Indigenous people (Indians))?
● Is the costume based on tragic historical events or violent acts that actually took place?
Parents of Royal Oak Middle School students had plenty of opinions on Martin’s memo.
“We’re too quick to try to jump in and say this racism. Everything isn’t about racism,” one mother said.
While another had a different opinion: “I think it’s good that it’s making kids think a little more.”
Martin said dressing up as “storybook characters...like Cinderella, super heroes or even the Golden Girls" is generally preferred to costumes depicting people of other cultures.
But what of characters who are a different race or nationality than your child?
In 2019, USA Today said parents should be wary of costumes such as Moana, Princess Jasmine, Aladdin, Princess Tiana (The Princess & The Frog), Mulan—etc.
Does that mean your child cannot dress up as these characters?
No, USA Today wrote, but there is one line you absolutely do not cross: darkening your skin. You should also avoid religious symbols like a hijab or a bindi; and sombreros, ponchos, mustaches, or other Mexican stereotypes, the article stated.
The Miami Law “Race and Social Justice Review” added appropriation does not end with culture.
It extends to disabilities, experiences, and more, the paper added.
In a Good Housekeeping list of 15 offensive costumes—a Holocaust victim (including a child’s Anne Frank costume) topped the list, as well as a person with a mental illness, a homeless person, the COVID-19 pandemic—even a couple who dressed up as the burning Twin Towers.
In 2018, an Oxford student was disciplined for dressing up as world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.
Some lines should never be crossed and some are costumes are never okay, experts said.
But is education, knowledge, respect, research the main difference between celebration/honoring one another versus appropriating and disrespecting?
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