Artwork for podcast The AT Last Podcast
Cultural Appropriation, Allyship, and the Language We Choose with Dr. Neal Lester
Episode 329th September 2025 • The AT Last Podcast • AT LAST
00:00:00 01:23:48

Share Episode

Shownotes

Dr. Neal Lester, cultural studies scholar and nationally recognized educator, joins us to discuss the often overlooked role of language in healthcare equity. He explores how words, cultural references, and communication styles can build or break trust between providers and patients. Using examples from both healthcare and everyday life, Dr. Lester illustrates how cultural competence starts with listening and evolves into true understanding.

We also talk about the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and why getting it wrong can have lasting effects on patient care. For anyone working in diverse communities, this episode offers a powerful reminder that equity is not just about access to resources, but also about respect in every interaction.

-AT L.A.S.T.

Website: WeAreATLast.org

Email: adam.cady@weareatlast.org

Support: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/athletic-trainers-leveraging-activism-for-social-transformation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/at-l-a-s-t

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlastpod

35% OFF Thorne Products compliments of http://raincrosshp.com/ go to https://thor.ne/Ch2Uc

20% OFF Xcelerated Recovery products: Code Rain20: https://xrscience.org/

Artwork by Jason Eisenberg 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dots_and_squares/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoneisenberg00/

Music by Willie B the Ichiban Don

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ichibandon/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-brown-25945b168/


Production / Engineering / Editing / Content Creation by Gerson Sandoval

Website: www.davyrover.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davy.rover/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gersonsandovalengineer/


-Guest

Website: https://projecthumanities.asu.edu/who-we-are/founding-director

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Crjor-ZP0Uz/


References

  1. https://www.campusreform.org/article?id=20384
  2. Bronson, P. and Merryman, A. (2009) Nutureshock. London: Ebury Publishing. 
  3. Brown, T.N., Tanner-Smith, E.E., Lesane-Brown, C.L. and Ezell, M.E. (2007), Child, Parent, and Situational Correlates of Familial Ethnic/Race Socialization. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69: 14-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00339.x-i1

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube