The term intercultural communications refers to communicating with people across lines of difference.  As the word implies that can be cultural difference, such as heritage or ethnicity, but it can also be across lines of ability.
I am reminded of this as I help to prepare volunteers for an event I have planned for a client […]

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 In today’s “politically correct” world, many advertisers want to include people of different backgrounds in advertising for products that reach across a variety of markets.  The key is to make sure that the images are integrated into the ‘story-line’ of the ad, and to make sure they do not perpetuate stereotypes. 
 One ad that gets it […]

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 I’ve talked a lot about the importance of teaching children language they can use to call out injustice and fight racism when they see it, and I always wonder if my son Dylan,* now 7 synthesizes what I say, when I talk about valuing people for who they are, as opposed to what they look […]

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 Reaching out to diverse audiences is often a discussion heard in the marketing department of large corporations.  For companies who have made a commitment to multicultural marketing, this can serve as a platform to promote team building and employee morale by leveraging your external goals to create internal programming.  Here’s how:

If your company is targeting […]

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 As I was getting onto the Kennedy in downtown Chicago this week a billboard caught my attention.  It was a 10+ story high image of a tall, presumably icy cold, glass of Hoegaarden beer.  Sure, it caught my attention because it was really hot and the beer promised to be very refreshing.  But mostly because […]

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 Thanks to Intercultural Talk reader Cara for sending this Survey opportunity on language and identity (actually, it’s a forwarded email from my sister, but it sounds more important the other way, not to ‘dis’ my sister…speaking of which, where does the word ‘dis’ originate?…enough already, here’s the survey)
Subject: FW: Survey on Language and Identity
You are […]

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Honestly, I don’t see how this could be viewed as anything but offensive.  Now the question, do I do more harm by showing it?  Does the New Yorker feel vindicated because it’s gotten more visibility than any cover in years (can you clearly describe any other cover of any other New Yorker?  Maybe an antique […]

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It was less than two weeks ago that Ka-duc Luong wrote here about his experience fleeing from Cambodia as a baby with his mother, and told of her incredible bravery and perseverance to save her family.  My deepest sympathies now go out to Kai and his family, upon learning that his mom has unexpectedly passed […]

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 Below is a letter I wrote to the Park District in a nearby Village after seeing a racist act by a Village employee on Sunday, and the response from the Village.  I was compelled to write the letter, and I’m satisfied with the response, but I’m surprised and a little annoyed by my biggest concern […]

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 Thank you and welcome to guest blogger Kai-Duc Luong.
Kai has lived in the US for the last 11 years, 10 of them working in corporate America.  He left the corporate side to fully pursue his dream of being a filmmaker a year or so ago, to devote his attention to finishing the feature-length documentary he […]

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