This multi-part series by ISP Project Manager Jennifer Buss aims to start conversations about culture and cultural responsiveness. It will look at how we work with people on an individual level and how our organizations serve diverse populations.
What is Cultural Responsiveness?
Cultural Responsiveness is:
1. being aware of one’s own cultural backgrounds and biases,
2. being aware of the dynamic culture and identities of others, and,
3. using this information to interact with others in a way that is respectful and sensitive to their needs and perspectives.
What about Culture?
The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services (OEMS) within Oregon’s Department of Human Services defines culture as ” a common or shared system of values, behaviors, beliefs and relationships that create a sense of community among individuals. Culture is complex and dynamic and can change over time.” Culture is something shared among people. At the same time, each member of a cultural group is unique and complex. To understand a person’s values, beliefs, and perspectives, one needs to get to know that person as an individual.
For each of us as individuals, c ulture is more than a list of categories or a single identity. One cannot summarize their individual culture by naming a single group, such as saying one’s culture is “Eastern European”, “Female”, or “Queer.” For example, a middle-aged, first-generation Somali immigrant living in rural Minnesota would likely have a very different culture than a black teen living in the Bronx; however, both individuals fall into the categorical label of “African American.”
Have you heard the phrase, “If you’ve met one person with a disability, then you’ve met one person with a disability?” The same is true of any of our identities, including age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability status, and religion or spirituality. Factors like socioeconomic status, language, geographic region, education, how we were raised, and social, political, economic, and historic contexts can also have a huge impact on our cultural identities. Culture is all of these factors working together.
Self-Knowledge, the Foundation for Success
Understanding your own culture. The first step in becoming more culturally responsive is to understand one’s own culture and the identities which shape it. It can be hard to notice one’s own culture. This might include things a person was taught were “right” or “normal” their whole life. If a person continues to assume their own values, practices, and beliefs are right or normal without recognizing them as part of their culture, it is easy to see how this can lead to misunderstandings, judgement, and biases toward people who are different from them.
When Zoe visits with Carl, she notices that his family does not have a formal dinner time, and that everyone eats in front of the TV. Zoe assumes that Carl’s parents are too lazy to have a family dinner, and that this is not a strong, cohesive family unit. If Carl’s family valued their time together, wouldn’t they eat meals at the table, like her family? Zoe has a bias against family meal practices that are different from her own.
For Zoe to overcome her bias, she would first need to understand that eating at the table is a value of her family culture. It is not, as she was taught as a child, better than (or morally superior to) other ways of eating dinner.
It can be very challenging to study your own culture. However, if we do not make the effort to understand our personal values, beliefs, and norms, we will inevitably judge those who have different values, beliefs, and norms from our own.
Cultural Considerations Activity
Understanding your own identities, values and practices
Take a few minutes to think about your own identities and try this activity.
- Create an “identity map” for yourself, describing the roles and identities which make you “you.” Write your name in the center and your identities around it. Here is an example for Leah.
- Add detail to each of your identities. Consider the following:
- Do you connect with or are you part of a community with others who share this identity?
- What values do you associate with this identity?
- What practices, traditions, and norms are important to this aspect of you?
- What is important for people in your life to understand about this identity?
- How does this characteristic impact the way you relate to others different from this identity?
More detail about Leah's identities
Person with ADHD: Leah has several family members with ADHD with whom she is in frequent contact. This connection is important to her, because these family members give her support, resources, and share similar experiences. Leah wants her teachers and others to understand that when she is distracted or disengaged, she needs support, not judgement.
Identifying biases
Another important step of exploring your own culture is to understand what biases or assumptions you may have about others. The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services (OEMS) defines bias as “prejudice; an inclination or preference, especially one that interferes with impartial judgment.” For Zoe, understanding her bias meant recognizing her judgments of Carl’s family based upon their mealtime practices.
Understanding one’s own biases can be challenging, as many biases are “unconscious” (also known as implicit bias). As humans, our minds may jump to assumptions when we see a person for the first time. These assumptions can hurt people, especially if we change our actions toward them.
One example is the tendency for women to be interrupted more frequently at workplace meetings than male coworkers. We may not actively believe that men are more capable than women. A team sitting around a table with laptops. However, most of us have heard and/or seen this message through portrayals of men and women in media, in everyday language, and through the way others around us interact. These messages can affect the way we treat male and female coworkers, even if we are not aware of it.
Not all biases are unconscious. We live in a world full of clear messages of stereotypes and biases. Can you think of any examples?Do you believe generalizations about any one group of people? Even when we reject these generalizations, they can impact the way we see others. How might stereotypes be influencing your perceptions of people who are different from you? How might this impact your work with others?
