Monday’s Real Talk

What Does Culture Mean to You?

Dear Friends,

Culture is described as the shared way of life of a group of people. It includes their beliefs, values, customs, language, art, traditions, and behaviors. It is learned, lived, and often passed from one generation to the next.

But let’s have some Real Talk.

What does culture mean to you?

Is culture determined by the color of your skin?

Is it where your parents and grandparents came from?

Is it the neighborhood where you were raised?

Is it the food you eat, the music you listen to, the holidays you celebrate, or the language spoken inside your home?

Or is culture a combination of all those things?

I am a Japanese and German woman who was raised in Seattle’s Central Area, surrounded by the Black community. My heritage comes from my family, but my lived experiences were also shaped by the people, places, music, food, churches, conversations, and communities around me.

That does not make me Black.

It does not erase my Japanese and German heritage.

It simply means that my culture has layers.

Culture is not always something that can be understood by looking at someone. You may see a person’s skin color, but you cannot see every experience that helped shape them.

You cannot see the lessons taught inside their home.

You cannot see the neighborhoods that raised them.

You cannot see the traditions they hold close, the music that moves their spirit, or the values that guide their decisions.

Culture can also exist within families, workplaces, churches, neighborhoods, and friendships. Every group develops its own way of communicating, celebrating, supporting one another, and deciding what behavior is acceptable.

That is why workplace culture matters.

Family culture matters.

Community culture matters.

A healthy culture helps people feel respected, valued, and included. An unhealthy culture can make people feel pressured to remain silent, hide parts of themselves, or follow traditions that no longer serve them.

We can appreciate another person’s culture without pretending it belongs to us. We can learn from one another without erasing our differences. We can honor where we come from while also acknowledging the people and experiences that helped shape who we became.

Culture is not one simple thing.

It is heritage.

It is history.

It is experience.

It is connection.

It is what was passed down to us—and sometimes, it is what we consciously decide to change before passing it to the next generation.

So today, I invite you to think beyond race, nationality, and the little boxes we are asked to check.

What shaped the way you live, love, communicate, celebrate, and see the world?

That, Dear Friends, is where the real story of your culture begins.

What does culture mean to you?

—Real Talk with Lady Flava 🌻