Job Summary:

The Arts Integration Specialist partners with artists, teachers, and community organizations to meet their needs for arts integrated programming and professional development services. This is a full-time position which reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Pay will be commensurate with experience and we offer a competitive benefits package.

Requirements:

Written by Women’s Center student staff member Hannah Wilcove.

As of March 23rd, 2017, Dr. Adrienne Keene had written over 15 different posts about the specific issue of celebrities wearing Native American headdresses. If you search for the term “headdress” on her blog, 12 entire pages of results come up, and spoiler alert: most of them are not praising people for doing it right. She has been writing about this phenomenon for seven years, and as she says, “[i]n internet years that’s truly forever.”

So, from all of this comes the question: What is cultural appropriation? And why is it a big deal?

A great definition comes from Maisha Z. Johnson at Everyday Feminism: “cultural appropriation is when somebody adopts aspects of a culture that is not their own.” An example many people are familiar with is the prevalence of Native American headdresses, jewelry, and clothing worn by non-Natives at music festivals like Coachella. It’s easy for people in our society to see when it happens, but it’s often difficult for people to see why it matters. This is because many people use only the above definition, which is accurate, but not comprehensive. This is how we get ordinary people trying to correct the experts, as seen on Dr. Keene’s Instagram below:

In fact, this kind of commentary is so common, there’s a BINGO card for it (we would take a bet that Adrienne has a “blackout”):

Essentially, it all comes down to power dynamics. The difference between non-Natives wearing a headdress and people other than (white) Americans eating a hamburger is that the former is a marginalized group in our society. Admiration crosses the line and becomes appropriation when the behavior is exploitative and/or contributes to the stereotyping and stigmatization of a culture. The headdresses seen at Coachella rely on stereotypes that ultimately collapse over 500 tribes into one fabricated culture. This one representation is more than just inaccurate; it’s harmful because it erases the current presence of Native Americans, which is still very much affected by a history of colonization and genocide. The following cartoon sums it up pretty nicely:

On a more general note, this is something that extends beyond Native Americans to all subjugated groups (read: not white people). For many people, their race or culture is not a costume they can take off at the end of the day, but rather something that is both a source of pride and a source of oppression. People have fought and are still fighting for the right to exist on an equal playing field where their identity is respected. When it comes to things like what to wear to a music festival, what Halloween costume to choose, what hairstyle looks best, or what forms of dance to try, there are many options, and it is entirely possible to choose one that does not rely on stereotypes. There are real people and extensive histories behind these material things. It is important that we learn about them and respect them as equal members of society.

Further reading below:

• To learn more about cultural appropriation and specific examples check out this article from Everyday Feminism
• Read more of our What You Need to Know series for CSJ: Rise
• But Why Can’t I Wear a Hipster Headdress? by Adrienne Keene 
• Valentino didn’t learn anything. by Adrienne Keene
• Adrienne Keene’s Twitter @NativeApprops
• Adrienne Keene’s Instagram

Check out the full list of Critical Social Justice: Rise events here.

Undergraduate Research Awards provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate students to support their research or creative work with a UMBC faculty mentor on an original project. UMBC students of all years and disciplines are invited to apply, as long as they will remain enrolled at UMBC long enough to complete the proposed work.

**New! Entrepreneurship URAs provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate researchers to support the development of a solution to either a technical or social problem in collaboration with a UMBC faculty mentor. These solutions can be products or services, address a social or “green” concern, or promote ideas that generate artistic value. To be eligible for an Entrepreneurship URA, you must be enrolled as a UMBC student for the duration of the work proposed. For more information, contact Vivian Armor, Director, Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship 410-455-5740, or email armor@umbc.edu.

Reserve your seat here: 

https://my.umbc.edu/groups/undergradresearch/events/53834

Mark 5:25-28, 34 (NIV) - “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

For twelve years she had been ceremonially unclean, unable to worship in the temple, to some degree a social outcast, but not to the extent of those with serious skin diseases. She had heard of the power of Jesus and was among those who placed great hope in just touching Jesus and being healed (Mark 6:56). Imagine her joy as she reached out and touched His garment and experienced the healing for which she had prayed and hoped for twelve years! Jesus, sensing that “power had gone out of Him” asked the question, “Who touched My clothes?” With fear and trembling, the woman brought her admission to Him and then heard His gracious words, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” I’ve often wondered what it was that Jesus felt when the woman touched Him. I suspect that it wasn’t the loss of power in whatever effected the healing but the loss in being touched by her uncleanness. I like to think of Him as absorbing her sickness and uncleanness, for it seems to me that’s what is meant when we say that He took the sins of the world upon Himself. To touch Him is to be relieved of one’s sins and to be restored to wholeness.  [Briscoe, Stuart. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volumes 1-35: Genesis - Revelation: Genesis - Revelation (Kindle Locations 18495-18503). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.]

This woman was tenderly restored to a whole life. Jesus called her daughter. He declares peace and healing from her afflictions not only physically but spiritually. She is known by God. Once we also lived a life apart from His presence, afflicted by our sins but in Christ, we can live in peace. How can we not worship and love Him? Spend time worshipping the Lord today.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTV_oEJ5-Gw

- DP

Mark 5:25-28, 34 (NIV) – “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

For twelve years she had been ceremonially unclean, unable to worship in the temple, to some degree a social outcast, but not to the extent of those with serious skin diseases. She had heard of the power of Jesus and was among those who placed great hope in just touching Jesus and being healed (Mark 6:56). Imagine her joy as she reached out and touched His garment and experienced the healing for which she had prayed and hoped for twelve years! Jesus, sensing that “power had gone out of Him” asked the question, “Who touched My clothes?” With fear and trembling, the woman brought her admission to Him and then heard His gracious words, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” I’ve often wondered what it was that Jesus felt when the woman touched Him. I suspect that it wasn’t the loss of power in whatever effected the healing but the loss in being touched by her uncleanness. I like to think of Him as absorbing her sickness and uncleanness, for it seems to me that’s what is meant when we say that He took the sins of the world upon Himself. To touch Him is to be relieved of one’s sins and to be restored to wholeness.  [Briscoe, Stuart. The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volumes 1-35: Genesis – Revelation: Genesis – Revelation (Kindle Locations 18495-18503). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.]

This woman was tenderly restored to a whole life. Jesus called her daughter. He declares peace and healing from her afflictions not only physically but spiritually. She is known by God. Once we also lived a life apart from His presence, afflicted by our sins but in Christ, we can live in peace. How can we not worship and love Him? Spend time worshipping the Lord today.

Want to learn about blockchain or machine learning? Like to get hands-on experience building software for IoT? Participate in DevFestMD ’17 and do all of that and more! DevFestMD is a day-long tech event filled with talks and hands-on workshops. So whether you’re thinking about joining the tech community or a seasoned software engineer, they have something for you. Early Bird tickets are only $10 and includes breakfast and lunch.

DevFestMD takes place on Friday, October 27, at Betamore at City Garage, 101 West Dickman St., Baltimore

The post DevFestMD ’17: a day of talks, workshops and networking, Fri Oct 27, Baltimore appeared first on Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.