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Cultural Curriculum Chat with Jebeh Edmunds
Welcome to the Cultural Curriculum Chat Podcast—an inclusive space for educators, DEI practitioners, and all individuals eager to foster diversity and understanding! If you're seeking a vibrant, authentic podcast to guide you in implementing Multicultural Education, look no further. Are you yearning for inspiration to cultivate a truly inclusive classroom community? Join us on a journey filled with insightful resources, practical tips, and a touch of humor, all led by the knowledgeable educator, Jebeh Edmunds.
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Cultural Curriculum Chat with Jebeh Edmunds
Season 7 Episode #13 Google Is Free, Babe
Tired of being the on-call cultural encyclopedia? You're not alone.
Every BIPOC educator knows the feeling—you're minding your business at your child's baseball game, shopping for groceries, or enjoying dinner with your spouse when someone approaches with that look. Suddenly you're fielding questions like "Do you speak African?" or "Is that traditional outfit a costume?" or the ever-popular "Do you celebrate the 4th of July?" Questions that could have been answered with a three-second Google search now demand your emotional labor.
In this raw and refreshingly honest episode, we dive into why these interactions are so exhausting. It's not about shutting down curiosity—it's about the assumption that marginalized people should drop everything to educate others, regardless of time, place, or context. These moments represent unpaid emotional labor that we didn't sign up for, especially when they come from educated professionals who should absolutely know better.
But don't worry—I've got you covered with practical strategies for handling these situations while preserving your dignity and energy. Whether you choose to respond with grace by suggesting resources, establish clear boundaries about what you're willing to discuss, or deploy a bit of well-deserved sarcasm, you have options that put your wellbeing first. Remember: no one has the right to make you the unwilling spokesperson for your entire cultural group.
Ready to build stronger boundaries and navigate these interactions with confidence? Subscribe to the Cultural Curriculum Chat for weekly insights, and check out my blog for deeper dives into topics that matter to BIPOC educators. Leave a review, and I'll give you a personal shout-out in a future episode!
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Welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum Chat. I'm your host, jeba Edmonds, and today we're diving into one of the most hilariously exhausting parts of being a BIPOC educator getting asked the most ridiculous questions, you know, the ones Questions that could have easily been answered with a three-second Google search. Yep, today's episode is titled Google's Free Babe the questions we hear way too often. Okay, let's get into this From so do you speak African? To why is it offensive to touch your hair? Or do you celebrate the 4th of July? Or where is Liberia? Did you live like in huts or something? Or the other one? What is the point of Black History Month? The list goes on.
Speaker 1:And it's not just students. These often come from fellow professionals who definitely should know better. These are highly educated people, or even people walking on the street. Having some common sense would really go a long way, and we are way past the times of well, my intentions were good, were they? Though? Would you ask those type of questions to your best friend, let alone to a stranger? And if they give you that kind of weird, wonky side eye, then you look at them going. I'm sorry, was that offensive? What do you think? Take a wild guess Now. Why do you think, my friend, these questions are tiring?
Speaker 1:Let's be clear. Curiosity is not the issue, it's the lack of effort and context. It's assuming that people like me are the spokesperson for all Black, indigenous and other people of color and, frankly, it's emotional labor that we didn't sign up for. You cannot walk to me and expect me to give you experiences that aren't my own. I would never think about asking you to be the representative of your cultural group. So then, when you're looking to me with that perplexed look on your face and my reaction, some of you might be like oh well, I just am curious, I just wanted to know. And you seem like a trusting person to want to know. Well, this trusting person is like you can read. There's search engines that you can utilize that will not waste my time. It'll be your time that you have to take to do the work and, yes, you might be looking at me going.
Speaker 1:Well, jeb, you are a professional in this space and you are an expert in this space. Yes, I am, but you don't need to ask me at our kids' baseball tournament if I speak African. That's not something you need to know and you don't have to ask me while I am, you know, minding my business at a wonderful date with my husband if my African gown that I'm wearing to our anniversary is a costume? Nah, you don't need to do that. You know, there's that old adage of if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. Yeah, we need to bring that back to the forefront because some people yeah, we need to bring that back to the forefront Because some people, damn have the audacity to ask those type of questions.
Speaker 1:And that's why I want to tell you, think about it in the terms of people in our marginalized groups being constantly bombarded with these ridiculous questions. If you're trying to work, you're trying to read, trying to, you know, push your kid on the swing at a local park. We don't need these extra questions. These are some things that you might say. Oh well, I'm just trying to strike up a conversation, jen. Are you really, if you've never met me from Adam and you think this is your moment to shine, come on now Really. Yeah, I thought so. So my question to you is okay, I might have stepped in it. I might have asked that type of a question.
Speaker 1:How do we, as BIPOC individuals and other people of color and other marginalized groups respond, and especially in these times where things are very volatile, how can we use some grace, but also some sarcasm and a little dignity as well, for yourself? Here's some examples of how you could respond, and let's start with the grace part. You know I'm a very faithful person, so I always think, okay, jeb, lead with grace, and it's something that, if I got that question, I would lead with grace like this. That's a great question to look up. I recommend and then your favorite resource that you can share with them. But then if you are in a setting with your family that you just don't want to be bothered, or even in the workplace, you could set some boundaries. I'm not comfortable being your only resource on this and sometimes you need to hit them with some sarcasm. Ah yeah, because I clearly carry the cultural encyclopedia on me at all times.
Speaker 1:Whether you lead with grace, some boundaries or some sarcasm, those little strategies is something you can use to keep it moving. It tells that person you communicated back with. That is not my issue. That is something for you to investigate, that is something for you to work on and we are in this collective. But also it is not my time to take the energy to explain everything to you.
Speaker 1:You are a lifelong learner, my friend, and so is that person asking you that ridiculous question in the ice cream aisle yes, I even get that too, there as well. I mean, seriously, can't I just get my Ben injuries in pee, I know right, I tell you. I can tell you this stuff all day and again. Sometimes you just want to just say, ah, google is free, babe, just look it up. Just do yourself a favor, because you are just looking like the biggest fool right now, you know. And also to be culturally aware of the circumstances and the places that you are. No, I'm not going to give you my life story at my kid's tennis tournament. I don't know you like that, cheryl. I don't know, cheryl, but you know, just work with me here. And there's all kinds of instances where you want to be in fellowship with others and that is wonderful.
Speaker 1:But again, when you are at a big chamber event or a networking meeting or a conference, you are trying to break the ice and think about what questions could I ask somebody like Jebe? That will really give me a deeper understanding of that person. I really want you to think about icebreakers. You could even chat GPT icebreakers to ask a person that is BIPOC or from a different marginalized community, that won't make me look like a donkey, but not like a donkey. You know what I'm saying, right? So these are the types of things that you have at your disposal and it's free. These are some things that will not make you look crazy if you do the work first.
Speaker 1:And you can give me as many excuses as you can. Trust me, I have heard it all, jeb, but we don't live in such a diverse area. But if we did, I know I bet my bottom deli would ask that same question to somebody else in a diverse environment, in a diverse community. It does not excuse your ignorance yeah, I'd said it, your ignorance, and ignorance is not always going to be bliss. You might get a side eye, you might get cussed out. Yes, you might get a side eye, you might get cussed out. I'm just trying to help you, boo. That's all I'm saying. I'm just trying to walk you through this experience with a little humor, but also from heart, from lessons that I really know you are capable of doing.
Speaker 1:It doesn't take long to search those types of questions. You might want to say, okay, what is the importance Google of Black History Month. You might want to go back and go. Is African even a language? I'll give you that freebie. No, it's not. I tell you, if I got a dollar for every time any of these ridiculous questions that I said in the intro came up, honey, it would be my own Jebba network. I'm putting it out there in the universe. It will happen. So, questions or not, you are capable of looking up those answers without making yourself look foolish.
Speaker 1:So if you've been asked one too many times of these particular questions and you want to build stronger, healthier boundaries in your workspaces, I want you to check out my blog post that goes deeper into this topic. Also, I want you to sign up for the Inclusive Educator Newsletter, where I share weekly tools, templates and occasional sarcastic memes to keep you going, and the links are also in the show notes in this episode. If today's episode made you laugh, sigh or even say, oh, just same, be sure to subscribe, share and leave a review. Hey, I'll even do you one better. If you leave that review, I will give you a shout out in a future episode. Yes, and that will get more reach for more people to find this podcast. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed this episode today. I'm Jeva Edmonds and I'll catch you next time on the Cultural Curriculum Chat.