Multiculturalism and Cultural Competency
My expertise in the area of multiculturalism has its origins in the various training programs I have participated in, which include TODOS, VISIONS and People’s Institute West, as well as my personal experiences as a bi-cultural, bilingual woman of color. I also researched and wrote "Cultural Considerations in Domestic Violence Cases", a national benchbook that looks at how the issue of culture has influenced American jurisprudence in the area of domestic violence.
I use the term multiculturalism to refer to the wide variety of cultural experiences and realities in the United States, many of which stand in stark contrast to the ideal of a colorblind, melting pot based on meritocracy. I view multiculturalism as a positive asset and something that should be embraced and celebrated – not simply tolerated. Whereas the term “diversity” has come to be viewed by many organizations as simply a numbers game (i.e having the “right” percentages of various races and genders), multiculturalism is an opportunity to listen, learn and examine the experiences that impact the way each of us walks in the world. Practiced in this way, multiculturalism has the opportunity of impacting long-term retention, promotion and intercultural communication and understanding in the workplace.
When conducting a training on issues related to multiculturalism (race, class, gender, education, sexual orientation, immigration status, age, disability and religion, to name a few) I am sure to model multiculturalism by working with another facilitator whose cultural background differs from mine in as many ways as possible.
As more and more government and private funders require that attention be paid to how services are provided in a culturally competent way, many organizations contact me to facilitate discussions about cultural competency. I begin this process by recommending that a group of employees representing diverse perspectives and backgrounds be brought together as a working group. This group begins the process of defining what the term cultural competency means to them and how they want to proceed in getting input from all stakeholders on the issue.
I typically refer potential clients to an excellent article that lays out several different modes of thought regarding “diversity” work, "Social Change or Status Quo: Approaches to Diversity Training" by Patti DeRosa.
I also have a Multicultural Resource List that provides information on groups doing multiculturalism work, several search engines and various interesting videos on related topics. Feel free to print this out and share this resource with others.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss your ideas further and how I can be of help in providing you assistance with the multicultural issues that exist in your organization and/or with additional resources.