Episode 5: Cultural Relevance in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)

Hey everyone, today, I bring my friend Dr. Ruth Akumbu on the podcast to talk to us about a hot topic today - diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging but in the context of cultural relevance. What does cultural relevance mean? It means looking at and identifying the culture that helps us to understand what each of these components mean. While many DEIB courses teach about the actual topics, with belonging being fairly new, culture is often overlooked. Dr. Akumbu and myself look into culture means and how it speaks to such an important topic that we must continue to address today.

If you want to know more about Dr. Ruth, or would like to follow her podcast, Jambo! Dr. Akumbu, you can follow her YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@jambodrakumbu

You can also find her on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and all other platforms - Jambo! Dr. Akumbu. 

You can follow Dr. Akumbu on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ruthakumbu/

You can follow Dr. Akumbu on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthakumbu/

A little more about Dr. Ruth Akumbu: 

Dr. Ruth Akumbu is a nonprofit, educational, entertainment leader committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and dedicated to strengthening global organizations through cultural capacity-building, integration, and augmentation. She is an experienced storyteller with a multifaceted background intersecting education, media, and business. Dr. Akumbu completed Doctoral-level research on Indigenous culture and created two cultural integration models for organizations to augment DEIB practices with an emphasis on cultural relevance. She has over 21 years of experience creating opportunities for marginalized individuals and those with less opportunities in Cameroon. Dr. Akumbu established and expanded a global non-profit to fund educational opportunities and community development initiatives. She has experience designing customized DEIB trainings utilizing multimedia tools and employing data to drive strategy and program design. In addition to her nonprofit leadership and DEIB background, Dr. Akumbu has over 17 years of experience in media and film production in the US, Cameroon, and Kenya, providing a foundation for cross-cultural storytelling across multiple contexts.

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