SLO County company helps businesses, schools improve diversity. ‘This is hard work’
A San Luis Obispo County business is striving to bring trust, community and a sense of belonging.
Cultural Creations, launched in 2019 by Los Osos resident Sandra Sarrouf, offers services to businesses, schools and other organizations.
Those include training, culturally responsive communications, events and youth and adult programs that focus on goals of diversity, inclusion and justice.
According to Sarrouf, the Black Lives Matter movement and national discussions on race and equity have helped bring awareness to how organizations can change from the inside, she said.
“There’s a lot more commitment by companies and organizations to say, ‘OK. We have to look at this from the inside. What’s going on in our own company? What’s going on with our employees and why?” said Sarrouf, who has more than 20 years of experience in community education, outreach and advocacy. “Why is there friction? What is the friction look like? Where does it come from? Is it racial? Like, is there a racial element to it? Is there a cultural element to it?”
Sarrouf said it’s important to have a diverse workforce with access to leadership and promotional opportunities, and to understand how people from minority backgrounds can be made to feel unwelcome.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California as a whole is about 37% white, compared to San Luis Obispo County which is almost 70% white.
Business owner grew up in Lebanon
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Sarrouf emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 years old at the height of a civil war.
Growing up in a mostly white community in Orange County, she experienced firsthand how being an outsider can impact one’s sense of belonging.
Sarrouf felt self-conscious when her mom would speak with a thick accent or pick her up in traditional Lebanese dress, Arab music booming from the car.
“Immigrants often feel like they have to give up or hide certain parts of their culture in order to be fully accepted,” Sarrouf said in a news release. “So how can we create an environment where there are actually intercultural communities supporting each other and building community together? Where can we create those places of belonging?”
Sarrouf learned to change her vernacular in certain situations and how she presented herself depending on whether or not she sensed judgment, she said, only sharing the Middle Eastern parts of herself when she felt safest.
Sarrouf received her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and political science, with a minor in global peace and security through UC Santa Barbara. She earned a master’s degree in cultural sustainability through Goucher College in Maryland.
In 2000, Sarrouf moved to San Luis Obispo County, where she’s worked in environmental justice with ECOSLO, the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo, and conducted education outreach with farm workers.
“I’ve always been really passionate about the different cultures and the ways we express ourselves,” Sarrouf said. ”The U.S. is so diverse and it means so many things to be American. I think about that a lot.”
She cited a Science Daily report that notes that businesses with high levels of racial diversity achieve 15 times the sales revenue compared to those reporting little racial diversity.
“Diversity of thought, diversity of people, and multiple perspectives lead to more creative problem solving, innovation, connection, and efficacy,” Sarrouf said. “When people feel connected to something, there’s overall productivity and positivity. You want to be more involved, you’re more motivated, inspired and connected. When you truly believe your voice matters and you belong, then barriers begin to vanish.”
How does SLO company Cultural Creations work?
Cultural Creations works to provide virtual and in-person training for schools, organizations and businesses to “unpack difficult topics through experiential learning” and to create new models for engagement that are inclusive, equitable and relatable.
The business also offers culturally responsive editing and communication for clients who want “to improve or better showcase their receptive, inclusive approach” through language and narratives, ensuring representation and responsibility when communicating to diverse audiences.
In addition, Cultural Creations plans multicultural and intercultural events as “a gateway to a stronger understanding of the varied ways our international and ethnic communities participate in culture,” the release said, and offers youth and adult programming to guide groups in meaningful dialogue.
Sarrouf also shares her Middle Eastern culture through classes and lectures that expand stereotypes of Arab women and broaden perceptions of Arab culture, according to the release. In April, she coordinated events for Arab American Heritage Month.
Cultural Creations training events have been held for San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Public Safety SLO and Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture, as well as a corporate client.
After meeting with lead administrators, Cultural Creations conducts “a pre-assessment of their teams that is anonymous to better gauge their knowledge, perspectives, and capacity for engaging in the work as well as the racial/ethnic demographic makeup of the group,” Sarrouf explained in an email. “We then develop a series of training sessions that are customized for that particular business/organization.”
Workshops help create an environment where people who work together can have open conversations, Sarrouf said.
“This is hard work,” she acknowledged. “It can be messy and uncomfortable. But how can we grow?”
Conversations about race or lived experience may be triggering, Sarrouf said.
So Cultural Creations sometimes establishes affinity groups — separating white people and people of color for some activities — to create an environment where participants can open up on issues.
Afterward, Cultural Creations offers its evaluation and discusses “next steps based on the agreed-upon goals,” Sarrouf said.
“A year-long commitment is ideal for businesses and organizations wanting to implement cultural shifts within their framework,” she said. “We have also worked with businesses and organizations to offer a series of two to five workshops or consult on specific areas such as marketing materials, policies or community outreach plans.”
Sarrouf’s team includes sociology professor Lata Murti, educational equity coach Pedro Arroyo and Rebecca Prather, a professional development facilitator and arts educator.
Sarah York Rubin, executive director of Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture, said Cultural Creations programming has allowed her staff to “envision new ways to hold space for empathetic and meaningful cultural connection” that will “continue to inform all of the work we do.”
Sarrouf and her colleagues are coordinating and fundraising for a project that documents “the living histories of local immigrant, indigenous and ethnic communities capturing stories of cultural sustainability, resilience and belonging,” the release said.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
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