“With Halloween coming up we thought, ‘what a perfect time to talk about the true cost of a costume,’” said DeShonda Stewart, President of Black United Students at Marshall University in a presentation this week.

True Cost of a Costume, an event consisting of three presentations on cultural appropriation when choosing costumes, took place in the Shawkey Room in the Memorial Student Center on Oct. 23.

Stewart said students need to understand the difference between appropriation and appreciation.

“Be respectful,” Stewart said. “Understand the culture and appreciate the culture because it’s easy to offend someone if you don’t understand their culture.”

Conner Kinder, a member of the Intercultural Hispanic Organization, specifically spoke of the celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

“Cultural appropriation happens year around,” Kinder said.

Kinder said Americans often believe that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day when Mexico’s Independence Day is actually Sept. 16.

“Costumes allow people to express their inner thoughts and feelings, moods, awareness, ideologies and philosophies. Costumes can be racist, sexist, homophobic, discriminatory and even sacrilegious,” Kinder said.  “People can take the celebration out of context and hyper-focus the stereotype and racism.”

The President of the Native American Student Organization at Marshall, Autumn Lee, was the final presenter at the event on Oct. 23.

“I’m here to educate people on what cultural appropriation means to us as an indigenous people,” said Lee. “I want to educate people on what’s correct and incorrect, so they can know going forward and help educate others as well.”

One of the main topics of Lee’s presentation was the traditional Native American headdresses.

“Wearing an imitation headdress belittles what elders have spent a lifetime to earn,” Lee said.

A student at the event, Josh Workman said, “I didn’t realize how important all of the outfit is and that it varies even among different tribes.” “It was very interesting to learn.”

Marshall University student Josh Workman found the presentations to be important and informative.

“I didn’t realize how important all of the outfit is and that it varies even among different tribes,” Workman said. “It was very interesting to learn.”

LeAnna Owens can be contacted at [email protected].