I am UIC: SISTERS addresses cultural appropriation

The student organization SISTERS, which was established to support Black ladies on campus, started an event called “Culture not Costume,” to reflect the diversity of the student body.

The event presented models who wore clothing from different traditional cultures, such as India/Pakistan, Nigeria, Korea, East Africa, to name a few.

Amari Gordon, a junior majoring in psychology, views cultural appropriation as a serious topic that needs to be addressed in the United States.

“As part of the executive board of the SISTERS organization, I totally believe in empowering one’s culture,” Gordon said. “This event was created to bring awareness to cultural appropriation. With Halloween, people will start wearing other people’s cultural clothing as a sort of costume, which is wrong and can be offensive.”

Pooja Baxi and Greeshma Job celebrate their culture.

UIC student Baxi Pooja, who volunteered to be a model, agreed that cultural appropriation during Halloween is a societal issue that needs to be addressed.

“I am tired of people wearing bindis on Halloween,” she said. “I see it as a form of cultural appropriation.”

The junior proudly walked the runway wearing a native Indian/Pakistani outfit. Many cultures were represented on the runway.

Nigerians wore their native Ankara sewed in different styles as they walked down the runway dancing to “Shoki.”

Trinity Harris, a freshman majoring in acting, joined the models walking down the runway.

“This is my first time attending this event and it is amazing,” Harris said.

Temitope Eddna Odedoyin is majoring in English and fully concentrating in media and professional writing. Apart from writing, she has have a passion for painting, and enjoys using watercolors, oil paint, acrylic, charcoal, oil pastel. She also has an interest in creative writing and short stories. She believes that art — through writing and painting — is a way of expressing one’s feelings.