“Don’t use social media to impress people, use it to impact people.” — Dave Willis Social networking has become an integral part of our lives. It’s changed the way we communicate, access and exchange information, form relationships, and make decisions. Social media networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and TikTok have given people a…
Why We Need to Stop Accent Shaming and Discrimination
“Accent is the soul of language, it gives to it both feeling and truth.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau Humans are visual creatures. Appearance has a deep impact on how we perceive others. It’s why we’re told to dress and groom for success. But, it turns out that people’s impressions of us also extend to the…
What Colorism is and How to Overcome it
“I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within.” –India Arie Porcelain. Sand. Honey. Olive. Maple. Deep Chocolate. Cinnamon. Mocha. Caramel. Bronze. These are a few of the names used to describe different shades of skin. When buying makeup, recognizing the microscopic gradients in skin color is…
How to Balance Cultural Identity
“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race” – Kofi Annan How do you answer the question, “Where are you from?” Many respond by naming the place they grew up, or the country their passport is from. We tend to give a bite-sized version of…
Why it’s Important to Talk About Privilege and How it Impacts Us
“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”― Brené Brown Privilege is a relatively new concept to me. On some level, I was aware that a pecking order exists in society based on one’s socio-economic status and physical appearance, but I had no idea how privilege determined the opportunities I had, compared to others. The everyday…
5 Simple Ways to Declutter Your Mind
“Empty your mind, stop thinking about anything, simply be.” – Paulo Coelho Like most people in modern society, you probably get overwhelmed regularly. Your brain gets overloaded because there’s so much happening around you. If you find yourself unable to think clearly and make decisions easily, there’s a strong chance you’re dealing with a serious…
Why Healing Ourselves Will Heal Our Planet
“When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves.” – David Orr Lately, it feels like the world is imploding. The aggressive Coronavirus has been spreading like a ferocious wildfire, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos wherever it goes. As a species, we’re facing a cataclysmic war, not between humans, but between humans and nature….
How to Deal with Culturally Ignorant People
“There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity” – Martin Luther King Jr. Have you ever encountered someone who judged or made an assumption about you based on your race, nationality, education, or socio-economic background? It’s certainly happened to me. Many times. I’ve been asked strange questions like if I rode camels…
5 Signs That You Have Cultural Intelligence
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” – Jawaharlal Nehru Walk down any major city in the world and you’ll notice that the crowds are full of variety. Whether you commute on the New York subway, ride a double decker bus in London, or take a ferry boat ride in Sydney…
Why the World is Far Better United than Divided
“A world united is better than a world divided, but a world divided is better than a world destroyed.”- Winston Churchill World peace is an age-old ideal. Some of the most prominent political and spiritual figures and humanitarians have been passionate about their support of it. Former US president, Thomas Jefferson, said “we love and…