Am I Free to be Me?
Intended Audience: High School In-Service Training
(although relevant to all levels)
Topic: The paradoxes of identity
Krishauna Hines-Gaither (center) & co-presenter Achlaï Wallace (far right)
with students from E. Chapel Hill High School, Cultural Presentation
“My name is
Kunta Kinte.”
Roots
Did you know the following celebrities changed their names? Why do you suspect
they chose to leave behind these names? Of course, the obvious answer is for
artistic reasons. But could there be something more? (below is a list of the actor’s
artistic name followed by his/her birth name)
Acculturation: the process (or the result) of adopting the cultural traits or social
patterns of another group.
Cher: Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere
Joan Crawford: Lucille Fay LeSueur
Nicolas Cage: Nicolas Coppola
Robert Blake: Michael James Vijenco
Gubitosi
Doris Day: Doris von Kappelhoff
Tony Danza: Anthony Iadanza
http://www.famousnamechanges.net/
Kirk Douglas: Isidore Demsky
Greta Garbo: Greta Lovisa
Gustafson
Rita Hayworth: Margarita Carmen
Dolores Cansino
Audrey Hepburn: Edda Van
Heemstra Hepburn-Rusten
Bruce Lee: Sai Fon
Sophia Loren: Sofia Scicolone
Charlie Sheen: Carlos Irwin Estevez
Pipher’s
explanations
• Acculturation/Assimilation: “They found that the best pattern
was one in which the family carefully chose what to accept and
reject in American culture” (Pipher, 2002, p. 229).
• Cultural switching: “They are bicultural, or in many cases,
multicultural, and they know when “to wear each culture”
(Pipher, 2002, p. 168).
• Cultural Brokers: “American friends who may teach them to
make intentional decisions about what to accept and what to
reject in America” (Pipher, 2002, p. 89).
• Schools as therapeutic environments: “Teachers connect
the dots between the world of family and of school, the old
culture and America, the past and the future” (Pipher, 2002, p.
115).
Expanded
definitions
• Acculturation: the process (or the result) of
adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of
another group.
• Cultural Broker: a party that arranges
transactions. An individual who acts as an
intermediary.
• Cultural switching: a shift between two
cultural interpretive frames in response to cues
in the social environment.
www.dictionary.com
First day of school for both of you
-one of you six and glowing copper,
running with eagerness and proud
The other 22, young teacher,
eager for this school
Your blue eyes warm to his brown stars
As you both chat
And share your missions,
As you ask his name.
He rolls it like a round of wealth
And deep in Spanish tones, responds
“Richi.”
You try to imitate, say
Was the school
“Ritchie.”
a therapeutic
“No!” he teases, confident,
environment
“It’s Ri-chi—just like this.”
You notice that each syllable could
for Richi?
rhyme with see
And try again.
In
Memory
of Richi,
Carmen
Tafolla
He pats you on the back.
You go on to your separate tasksHe to his room, you to yours.
One day, six hours,
Really not a speck of sand
In all this shore of time, and yet,
So crucial,
As you gather papers,
Turn to flee the cell
And gain some comfort
In some other place.
Your ray of hope comes filtering down
the hall.
In eagerness for someone’s warmth,
You shout and wave,
“Hey, Richi!”
He corrects,
The light and wealth all gone
From his new eyes,
“no.
Ritchie.”
Core Concepts: Acculturation, the
teacher as a possible cultural broker,
and also cultural switching
Cultural Switching/ Acculturation:
“It’s exhausting!”
• In this scene of the movie
Selena, Edward James
Olmos’s character explains to
his children the cost of
cultural switching and
assimilation.
• Background: Selena
Quintanilla was a popular TexMex artist until her untimely
death in 1995.
• http://youtu.be/5imXk_XGYRY
Click Here for Selena Clip
2:07
If clip does not work copy &
paste link to the left
Bringing it Home:
Some Practical Strategies
Globalization Activity
• Students look at one garment
(clothing, backpack etc) to see
where it is made. Teacher or a
student writes all the countries
on the board where the items
are made.
• Have a conversation about
what the information implies
for globalization.
• The conversation could go as
deeply as you would like,
depending on the level of the
class/comfort.
• Topics that often emerge from
this activity include
interconnectedness, politics,
economics, working
conditions, etc.)
Meet & Greet; Mézclense;
Faire de connaisance;
• Students receive sheet
with descriptions printed
in each box. (see next slide for
trilingual chart, use the language(s) of
your choice)
• They circulate the
classroom asking the
questions of peers.
• Object is to hurry & fill in
the names of their
classmates in allotted
time (usually 5-10
minutes).
• Good activity to learn names
like “Richi” & to learn more
about classmates.
Es el/la mayor de la
familia
Oldest of the family
Est l’ainé de la famile
Tiene 4-5 hermanos
Es
hija única
Es de primer año
Es de Virginia
Bringing it Home:
Goals and Strategies
Tiene 16 años
Freshman
Is from Virginia
Is 16 years old
Dans sa première
année a L’université
Es la menor de la
familia
Est de Virginie
A 16 ans
Va a la iglesia
regularmente
Toca un instrumento
musical
Goes to church
regularly
Plays instrument
Only child
Est enfant unique
Trabaja en el centro
comercial
• “To teach you I must
Works at the mall
Youngest of the family
know
you.” Alaskan
A 4-5 frères
et
soeurs
Travaille dans un
Est le benjamin de la
Proverbcentre
(cultural
commercial/
famille
centre d’achats
broker)
Está en un conjunto
Trabaja en un
Es de tercer año
musical/coro
restaurante
• Multivocalism
Is a junior
Has 4-5 siblings
In a band
Est dans une chorale
Works in a restaurant
Quiere ser maestro/a
Travaille dans un
restaurant
Baila muy bien
Wants to be a teacher
Dances well
Veut être un
enseignant
Danse très bien
Est dans sa troisième
année a L’université
Canta muy bien
Va à l’églìse
régulièrement
Le gustan las
matemáticas
Juega un deporte
Likes math
Plays a sport
Aime les
mathématiques
Va a la discoteca
regularmente
Joue un sport
Sings well
Chante très bien
Joue un instrument
musicale
Goes to dance clubs
regularly
Tiene novio/a
Has a boyfriend/
girlfriend
A un petit copain
Va au discotheque
regulièrement
Bringing it Home:
Classroom & Leadership Goals
• Face cultural biases. “There
is no such thing as cultural
neutrality” (Pipher, p. 329-31).
• “To teach you, I must know
you.” Alaskan Proverb.
(Delpit, 2001, p.211) (cultural
broker)
• Celebrate differences. Move
from diversity to inclusivity.
(Paradoxes of identity)
• Multivocalism (students,
community, school, course
content) (schools as
therapeutic environments)
Wakefield High School Cultural
Presentation, Raleigh, NC
Concluding
thoughts
& References
Delpit, L. (2001). Education in a multicultural society:
Our future’s greatest challenge. In J. House (Ed.),
Exploring socio-cultural themes in education:
Readings in social foundation, (2nd ed.). (pp. 203-211).
Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Pipher, M. (2002). The middle of everywhere: Helping
refugees enter the American community. Orlando:
Harcourt, Inc.
Tafolla, C. (2001).Sonnets and Salsa. San Antonio:
Wings Press.