Cultural Proficiency: Essential Conversations for Understanding Diversity

1. Courageous Conversations An Introduction to Cultural Proficiency

2. What is Cultural Proficiency? • Created by Terry Cross • A model for dealing with differences • The values and behavior of individuals and the policies and practices of organizations that enable them to work effectively in a variety of cultural settings

3. Dominant Culture Dominant Culture is one whose values, language, and ways of behaving are imposed on a subordinate culture or cultures through economic or political power. This may be achieved through legal or political suppression of other sets of values and patterns of behaviour, or by monopolizing the media of communication. (Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford Reference Online)

4. A Definition of Culture • The beliefs, values, customs and traditions shared by a people • Cultures can be tied to race, ethnicity, social class, gender, geography, language, ability, occupation, organization, and nationality • Most people belong to more than one cultural group • Most people identify most strongly with one or two cultures

5. What are your cultures? Take a few minutes to identify the cultural groups that shape and inform your worldview and daily interactions. What cultural groups do you belong to that may be perceived as a problem to others?

6. Cultural Proficiency • Cultural Competence • Cultural Pre-Competence • Cultural Blindness • Cultural Incapacity • Cultural Destruction The Cultural Proficiency Continuum Use the continuum to describe language, situations, or events.

7. Cultural Proficiency Continuum Upward Spiral Conversation Incapacity Pre-Competence Proficiency Destructiveness Blindness Competence Downward Spiral Conversation

8. Cultural Destruction See the difference, stomp it out; the elimination of people’s cultures Holocaust during WWII in Europe Bureau of Indian Affair Schools in the early 20th century

9. Cultural Incapacity See the difference, make it wrong; belief in the superiority of one’s culture and behavior that disempowers another’s culture Jim Crow laws in the American South during the 20th century Tokenism – hiring one or two individuals of minority groups to prove that the organization is open and inclusive

10. Cultural Blindness See the difference, act like you don’t; acting as if the cultural differences that you see do not matter, or not recognizing that there are differences among and between cultures Assuming all Asian cultures are alike Teaching that Abraham Lincoln is a hero to all African Americans Belief that we are living in a post-racism world

11. Cultural Pre-competence See the difference, respond inadequately; awareness of the limitation of one’s skills or an organization’s practices when interacting with other cultural groups Serving soul food meal during Black History month to demonstrate cultural proficiency Dismissing as overly sensitive someone who complains about culturally inappropriate comments

12. Cultural Competence See difference, understand the difference that difference makes Uses these principles to guide individual and/or community interactions with other cultural groups: Assessing culture Valuing diversity Managing the dynamics of difference Adapting to diversity Institutionalized cultural knowledge

13. Cultural Proficiency See the difference and respond positively and affirmingly Someone who has the capacity to teach and learn about differences in ways that acknowledge and honor all the people in the groups they represent

14. Examples along the Continuum Think of situations you have observed, conversations you have heard, or experiences you have had in your professional experience. Where would you plot those examples on the continuum?

15. Plot your Examples Upward Spiral Conversation Incapacity Pre-Competence Proficiency Destructiveness Blindness Competence Downward Spiral Conversation

16. On Your Notecard Answer the following question: Where would you place your library/OLA/or your work as a professional on the Cultural Proficiency Continuum, and why?

17. References This presentation draws upon the following resources, in particular, the power point presentation, Introduction to Cultural Proficiency, listed below. "dominant culture."  A Dictionary of Sociology. John Scott and Gordon Marshall. Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Clatsop Community College.  10 April 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t88.e634> Lindsey, Randall B.,Kikanza Nuri Robins, and Raymond D. Terrell. Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc., 2003. Robins, Kikanza Nuri . Introduction to Cultural Proficiency. 2008. 10 April 2009. 10 May 2006 <http://www.masc.org/images/Intro_to_Cult_Prof%5B1%5D.ppt>.