By Soleil de Zwart
As Halloween comes around, the Ethnic Student Center is urging people to be mindful when dressing up and to avoid appropriating other cultures. This has been a problem in the past and the ESC felt the need to address it this Halloween.
Cultural appropriation is the act of representing a culture that is not yours, without the understanding, knowledge or consent of that culture.
It can be very frustrating for a lot of students to see their culture reflected in a joking way, especially when it’s something that’s deeply meaningful to them. It can be invalidating towards their identities, Daniela Tierra, ESC cultural education coordinator, said.
On Oct. 26, the ESC sent out an infographic on what to consider when dressing up for Halloween and the impact certain costumes may have on others.
The infographic advertised:
- Don’t dress up as a culture or race.
- Don’t be transphobic.
- Don’t dress up as a mental illness or someone with a physical disability.
- If you’re not sure, don’t do it.
“We are in a day and age where [cultural appropriation] shouldn’t be happening. Period,” Sofian Mahmoud, ESC marketing and outreach coordinator, said.
By including transphobic and mental illness related costumes the ESC tried to be intersectional and inclusive in addressing problematic costumes. The problem of Halloween and cultural appropriation doesn’t just impact students of color, it also impacts people with disabilities, mental illnesses and the LGBTQ+ community, according to Mahmoud.
With the infographic the ESC is trying to unite under one cause and show solidarity within their own community and other communities affected, Mahmoud said.
“If you’re unsure if your costume is inappropriate or offensive it’s better to err on the side of caution and go with a different costume,” Mahmoud said.
Cultural appropriation has been an issue at Western in the past.
Mele Mataese, president of Oceanic Student Association, spoke out in January 2018 after the men’s basketball team announced their “Hawaiian” themed basketball night. The image to promote the event was of a basketball team member wearing a photoshopped plastic flower lei.
At the time Mataese spoke to the AS Review on the matter, saying those planning the night should have known it was wrong. The night was cancelled. Athletic Director Steve Card responded by apologizing for the lack of understanding on the matter. Mataese responded that it wasn’t an apology.
The OSA issued a public statement at the time, asking administrative leaders to seek education on these issues and to increase awareness toward the diverse populations of Western’s campus.
In 2015 there was student debate on the lack of representation by Western’s mascot Victor Viking.
Whether or not the issue of cultural appropriation is addressed every year is up to whoever sits in the position of cultural education coordinator or the marketing and outreach coordinator, Tierra said.
“Be mindful of your actions, be mindful of what you’re doing, be mindful of how people can perceive it,” Mahmoud said.