“You’re so well-spoken.”
If I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase — or saw someone praised for sounding “professional” while their culture was being borrowed, mocked, or monetized — I’d have a retirement fund.
This week on The Cultural Curriculum Chat, we tackled a hard truth:
✨ Everybody wants the flavor, but not the responsibility.
Let’s talk about code-switching — not as a skill, but as survival.
For many BIPOC professionals and students, code-switching becomes second nature. We shift our voice, our mannerisms, even our dress just to be accepted in environments where authenticity is often punished.
We spend hours editing our words, toning down our expressions, or making our culture more “digestible” — while others get praised for mimicking our style without ever carrying the weight of our lived experience.
And that, my friend, is where cultural appropriation comes in.
From TikTok dances to boardroom buzzwords, pieces of marginalized cultures are constantly repackaged for mainstream appeal. But what’s missing? The responsibility. The history. The context. The consequences.
The truth is, being palatable is not the same as being accepted — and the constant pressure to perform can lead to burnout, disconnection, and deep fatigue.
💡 So what can we do?
We can start by naming it.
And then, we educate ourselves and others with real, actionable tools.
That’s why I created the Code Switching 101 Mini Course: — to unpack the layers of this experience and help you reclaim your voice without apology.
👉🏽 Ready to dig deeper? Enroll in the mini course now
➡️ Click here to join Code Switching 101
In this course, we’ll explore:
What code-switching really is — and how it shows up daily
The difference between appreciation and appropriation
How to build the confidence to show up as your full self in professional spaces
