OR&R Discusses Cultural Appropriation
Jan. 19, 2018 — On Thursday, January 18, nearly 50 OR&R staff and team members joined the OR&R Diversity and Inclusion Committee to discuss cultural appropriation and its impact.
The event opened with some examples of cultural appropriation, their harm, and some counter-arguments. The discussion that followed included many diverse viewpoints, but it was generally agreed upon that cultural appropriation is a complex and challenging topic. Although it can have damaging impacts, many positive things in our culture have arisen out of appropriation. Despite having varying viewpoints, all teammates could agree that discussing topics like this can heighten our awareness and help us be more thoughtful about our actions and judgments. You can find materials from the event on the OR&R Intranet event page.
The OR&R Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosts monthly events on topics related to diversity and inclusion in our workplace. Next month's event will highlight perspectives from our teammates working in the field. We welcome all of OR&R to join us on February 22 at 11am PT / 2pm ET to hear stories and perspectives and learn about what it's like to work outside of our main offices. Look for an email announcement with more details soon.
Send questions to orr.diversity@noaa.gov.