Culture is a term that refers to a large and diverse set of mostly intangible aspects of social life. According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language, communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to define them as a collective.

Whiteness and white racialized identity refer to the way that white people, their customs, culture, and beliefs operate as the standard by which all other groups of are compared. Whiteness is also at the core of understanding race in America. Whiteness and the normalization of white racial identity throughout America's history have created a culture where nonwhite persons are seen as inferior or abnormal.

Since I like to keep things simple and sweet, I’ve grouped the 13 characteristics into five themes related to data storytelling. For each summarized characteristic, I’ve identified where I think data storytelling can help offer or support some of the proposed anecdotes, and where there may be some opportunities for growth as well. Please forgive me for not going into great detail as my goal is to merely introduce these ideas, however imperfectly. I highly recommend checking out the full list for your own exploration and discovery.

Please join us for the Chapel Hill, North Carolina stop of the TRANS KIDS, OUR KIDS book tour! Trans Kids, Our Kids: Stories and Resources from the Frontlines of the Movement for Transgender Youth is a new book that takes readers inside the movement for transgender youth, told through narratives that will open your eyes, break your heart, and give you hope.