learning specialist at the University of
Maryland for the Terrapins um sorry
cannot be there today I just recently
moved across the country in when the
middle of midterms that’s really crazy
I’m sad to miss this event and there’s
some great people getting some talk to
him with some very insight and hopefully
there’s transcripts available of my talk
it’s about appropriation and if you want
one it’s not available please feel free
to email me my email is on the website
or if you have any questions or comments
would love to talk about this stuff more
um anyway I hope you enjoy thanks a few
months ago i was perusing facebook and
came across my friends status was stated
appropriation is the thing move on to
which an acquaintance of hers commented
say it louder for the people in the back
i SAT there looking at the status for
about five minutes deciding whether or
not to inside Facebook more it really
wanted to since I a face before I didn’t
with slight reluctant Smith’s with
relief I left her facebook page and
tried to move on however the comment
haunted me and has stayed with me I was
frustrated because I couldn’t come up
with one sentence rebuttal and I was
frustrated because I wanted people to
get a question how can I sell a new
believes in social justice isn’t a lie
and advocate not easily defend such a
statement hey I’m an educator inciting a
Facebook war isn’t always healthy and my
goals always thoughtful dialogue be
sometimes you get it and sometimes you
don’t see I don’t always have the
patience to work with people on these
ideas d this transformation comes from
within an individual journey of
understanding and finally II as a person
whose translationally adopted my
indigenous pneus and brown this is
something I feel and constantly
appropriate so today I come to you with
one perspective and one answer to the
multi-faceted question what is
appropriation it isn’t simple it is
complex and I believe appropriation is
just one aspect of power privilege
racism in history I don’t expect to
answer all your questions in this time
but just to plant seeds and the share an
idea so how do we move past the non
black community with locs the African
statues the decorative prayer flags the
dream catcher tattoos the headdresses at
Burning Man
the drug droid music that alienates a
history there is a sense in our
patriarchal dominant Americanist that we
don’t question ownership and if we do
question we’re overreacting and need to
get over it today I’m questioning
ownership I’m questioning how to find
the balance food ownership and
celebration back to my friend the need
to be able to get the sugar skull tattoo
and to justify wearing a t-shirt that
has a lion wearing a headdress on what
is appropriation the formal definition
according to merriam-webster online is
an action or instance of taking
especially illegally or unfairly in
colloquial terms stealing one’s ideas
and using them as their own how does
this play out in our culture we have
American food the cheeseburger in the
good old twice baked potato and on a
larger scale or Society struggles with
the idea of land ownership identity
Native American African American history
and trauma to name a few we take the
cool pieces the pretty things but we
don’t recognize the pain and the grief
that the minorities are can you loosen
dirt think about these examples of how
we appropriate other cultures think
about how generic our descriptions on
the terms like tribal geometric or
ethnic once speaking of clothing or
jewelry instead we should be thinking
I’ll take sue and dinnae think about
symbolism and living the thoughts and
connections behind the objects in lieu
of exotic and unique people
unceremoniously where the bindi and
twerk without recognizing what cultures
they come from and why the communities
developed them it may be the larger
issue here is the role art place in our
society and the idea that we can share
everything but by sharing everything we
don’t take the time to honor and give
respect to where language and religions
objects and designs are created we tend
to think once we visited the community
or they’ve shared a piece of their
culture with us it then is our own we
tend to think that once we’ve read it or
it is being sold in the store that we
can use it companies like forever 21
Pottery Barn take these names and
designs and ideas and make commodities
to look different or exotic it goes from
having meaning and symbolism to mass
production and nothingness now that you
have the images of prayer flags some
brands the rapper Eminem rolling around
your head as you move over the idea of
appropriation let me go back to e as a
person who’s trans
actually adopted my indigenous and brown
this is something I feel I’m constantly
appropriating my family is very Italian
and very white and I grew up in a very
white community I’m not those things my
mom was always good at normalizing my
adoption by saying things like I love my
doggy baby girl she never wanted my
adoption to be a surprise or something
people could make fun of but she also
knew that raising a brown baby in a
white family was nothing that could be
hidden nor should it be how do you
celebrate your child’s heritage and
identity without marriage rising in I
knew very early on that I was different
it was really hard to hide dark skin and
a white family my grandma would say I
tried to stay 10 when you were younger
so that you could feel like you fit into
the family while the sentiment was love
there was a lot of awareness in what she
was saying my mom would take me two
different malls to walk around and see
the diversity around me when I was a
toddler I once dated mom everyone around
here looks like me and not like you it
was obvious to me and being so young I
never saw a problem at one point she
also took me to a Native American Museum
I stated I finally feel like I fit in
growing up in a white family I know what
it means to be of power and privilege to
be able to do anything but while my
family’s said I could do what I want I
have the constant reminder of my
community telling me hey Megan you’re
one of us Brown isn’t a thing in my
society around me saying hey Megan
remember you are brown how do you
balance the concert reminded of your
skin color with the concert reminder
that you should forget it and somehow it
doesn’t matter what my looks alone
people told me to learn Spanish I
learned Arabic instead with my looks
alone they assumed I was raised by a
single parent with my looks alone they
told me I spoke English well my adoption
history is typical I have a birth mother
who found she couldn’t take care of me
so she decided to give me up for
adoption instead of raising me in her
third world but by doing so I don’t get
the honor of the privilege of moving in
my indigenous pneus I don’t get to
breathe the music or traditions of my
heritage I have been searching for a
place to belong I sit in between two
worlds the world of the privilege in the
world of the oppressed
I want the sugar skull tattoo I want to
wear the poncho I want to embrace my
indigenous I want to sit with my native
ancestors to breed what they teach but
my education I am upbringing says no
Megan you aren’t one of them because you
weren’t raised in your culture of
heritage I constantly battle wanting to
embrace my heritage but I feel like an
imposter but I don’t look like an
imposter but I talk like an imposter my
education throws the under a bus because
remember I speak English too well I
respect to the space and now I can’t be
part of it I know that sometimes I need
to just be an observer not a toner
American this is a melting pot of
cultures and ideas and in that those
with the power and privilege live in
their culture and community without
rubber band what stands out are those
who are other those other become the hot
commodity those others are the newest
trend my answer to the question what is
appropriation is appreciation back to my
definitions appreciation is defined as
an ability to understand the worth
quality and importance of something a
full awareness or understanding of
something when I look at those prayer
flags you hang on your porch when I look
at that geisha halloween costume you
wear a halloween party when I hear you
wrapping a jay-z song I question did you
understand me I question if you
understand the importance I question if
you have the years of reflection that
those cookies live every day I question
if you understand the pain they feel
when their culture and customs are being
distorted in this represented I think
how can they when I can’t respect the
space and no you can’t be a part of it
be an observer not an old owner
celebrate through appreciation thank you [Music]