Cultural legacies can be a source of strength, possibly a source of weakness, often a source of stereotyping. In his book “Outliers,” published over a decade ago, Malcolm Gladwell spends a whole chapter on the idea that while we are not completely bound by them, cultural legacies have a powerful effect on most of us. They can push us to conform, to hold ourselves back, or to rebel and reject. If we are self-aware, know our history and the legacies we live with, we can be intentional in our choices to let our cultural legacy be an asset or a deterrent in our lives, and those of the next generations we are influencing.