How to become a culturally competent person

Becoming culturally competent and practicing cultural humility are central to serving youth of color and Indigenous youth. As Dr. Nicole A. Cooke (2017) argues, cultural competence and cultural humility compel us to act – to move beyond simply being aware of or sensitive to people’s cultural differences. Library staff who are culturally competent and practice cultural humility collect materials, provide programs, design instruction, and build technology tools that reflect the various cultures represented in their communities.  They also actively work to identify and address systemic inequities. In this module, we will develop a shared understanding of the terms culturally competent and cultural humility, explore why an understanding of these two concepts is important to creating equitable and inclusive library services, and create personal goals to guide your journey to cultural competence and cultural humility.

What does it mean to be culturally competent?

Culturally competent librarians and educators understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence encompasses:

• being aware of one’s own world view
• developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences
• gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views
• developing skills for communication and interaction across cultures

Underlying cultural competence are the principles of trust, respect for diversity, equity, fairness, and social justice (Rhonda Livingstone).

While there is no single checklist that identifies the attributes of culturally competent educators or librarians, the following attitudes, skills and knowledge are commonly identified in the literature:

• understands and honors the histories, cultures, languages, and traditions of diverse communities
• values the different abilities and interests of youth
• respects differences in families’ home lives
• builds on the different ways of knowing and expertise found in different cultures and communities
• recognizes that diversity contributes to the richness of our society and provides a valid evidence base about ways of knowing
• understands that a strong sense of cultural identity and belonging is central to developing a positive self-esteem
• identifies and challenges their own cultural assumptions, values and beliefs
• demonstrates an ongoing commitment to developing their own cultural competence

Who is…

Dr. Nicole A. Cooke

Dr. Nicole A. Cooke is an Associate Professor and the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. In this role she focuses on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in the profession.

To learn more about Dr. Cooke and her work:

• Watch this webinar in which Dr. Cooke discusses power, diversity, and cultural competency in LIS.
  
• Read one of Dr. Cooke’s texts (we recommend starting with Information Services to Diverse Populations: Developing Culturally Competent Library Professionals).

Watch

In this short video produced by NEA, academic experts from across the United States define cultural competence and share their thoughts on the importance of cultural competence for today’s educators. As you watch, consider these questions:

• What are primary premises of cultural competence?
• What issue is cultural competency designed to address? How does it address this issue?

respond

Review these definitions of Cultural Competency. In your journal, make a list of the key ideas that stand out for you in these definitions. Use those ideas to develop your own definition of cultural competence.

• “the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures” (SAMHSA, 2016)
• “a congruent set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable a person or group to work effectively in cross-cultural situations; the process by which individuals and systems respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, languages, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and other diversity factors in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, and communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each” (National Association of Social Workers, 2001).
• “the ability to recognize the significance of culture in one’s own life and in the lives of others; and to come to know and respect diverse cultural backgrounds and characteristics through interactions with individuals from diverse linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups; and to fully integrate the culture of diverse groups into services, work, and institutions in order to enhance the lives of both those being served by the library profession and those engaged in service” (Overall, 2009, 189-190).
• “the ability to successfully teach students who come from cultures other than our own. It entails developing certain personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities, developing certain bodies of cultural knowledge, and mastering a set of skills that, taken together, underlie effective cross-cultural teaching” (Diller & Moule, 2005).
• “high levels of respect for and knowledge of other cultures; actively working for and with diverse groups” (Cooke, 2017, 18).

What is cultural humility?

The concept of cultural humility was developed by Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia in 1998 to address inequities in the healthcare field. It is now used in many fields, including education, public health, social work, and library science, to increase the quality of interactions between workers (i.e. library staff and educators) and their diverse community members.  Cultural humility goes beyond the concept of cultural competence to include:

1. A personal lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique
2. Recognition of power dynamics and imbalances, a desire to fix those power imbalances and to develop partnerships with people and groups who advocate for others
3. Institutional accountability (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998)

Watch

In this YouTube video excerpt, Melanie Tervalon, a physician and consultant, and Jann Murray-Garcia, a nursing professor at UC Davis, discuss the philosophy and function of cultural humility. The full video (29 minutes) can be viewed here. As you watch this video, consider the following questions:

• What are primary premises of cultural humility?
• How do Tervalon and Murray-Garcia distinguish cultural humility from cultural competency? Why do they think this distinction is important?

respond

In your response journal, reflect on what you learned about culture in Module 7 and what you’ve learned about cultural competency and cultural humility in this module. Then answer this question: Why should library staff and educators care about cultural competency and cultural humility?

What are the 4 C's of cultural competence?

What are the 5 components of cultural competence?

What does it mean to become culturally competent?

What is the first step in becoming culturally competent?