You're Doing It Wrong: The evolution of cultural competence | Raquel Martin | TEDxRutgersCamden

Summary

The speaker passionately critiques the ineffectiveness of current diversity and cultural competency trainings, which they argue often reinforce stereotypes rather than combat biases. They highlight the importance of experiential learning and continuous engagement with diverse communities to truly understand and address racism and prejudice. The speaker shares personal experiences as a black woman and professional in academia and healthcare, emphasizing the need for trainings to address the root causes of discrimination and to promote a more inclusive and understanding society.

Takeaways

• 😔 The speaker expresses frustration with diversity trainings that reinforce stereotypes rather than fostering anti-racism and cultural competency.
• 🌟 Cultural competency is not an achievable goal but a continuous journey that requires experiential learning and engagement with diverse groups.
• 📈 The speaker highlights the negative impacts of poor cultural understanding in various professional roles, including academia, healthcare, and mental health.
• 🔍 The historical context of 'cultural competence' is important, emphasizing the need for ongoing learning and interaction with different cultures, not just academic knowledge.
• 🏥 In healthcare, biases can lead to misdiagnoses and unequal treatment, with black patients experiencing higher mortality rates and less access to standard treatments.
• 👨‍⚕️ The speaker recounts an incident where a training session for black youths inappropriately used a scene of police brutality, illustrating a lack of cultural sensitivity.
• 📚 Data is shared to humanize the experiences of black individuals, showing how poor cultural confidence can lead to disparities in education and healthcare.
• 🚫 The speaker criticizes the tokenistic approach to diversity trainings, which often occur once a year and lack follow-up or meaningful engagement.
• 🌱 The roots of racism and oppression need to be addressed in trainings, not just the symptoms, to truly improve the human experience.
• 🌈 A comprehensive approach to diversity training should include discussions on intersecting identities and involve a variety of resources and formats to foster understanding.

Q & A

What is the speaker's main concern about the diversity trainings they have attended?

The speaker is concerned that the diversity trainings they have attended often reinforce stereotypes rather than providing effective ways to address biases and practice anti-racism, cultural competency, and diversity.

Why does the speaker feel that the current approach to diversity training is a waste of time?

The speaker feels that the current approach is a waste of time because it lacks experiential learning, follow-up, and meaningful engagement, instead focusing on one-time, mandatory trainings that do not lead to tangible improvements in cultural understanding or behavior.

What does the speaker believe is the true meaning of cultural competence as proposed by Dr. Daryl Wing Sue?

According to the speaker, Dr. Daryl Wing Sue proposed that cultural competence is not about being fully versed in a group of people but rather about engaging in experiential learning and interacting with people from different walks of life as human beings.

How does the speaker describe the impact of poor cultural competence on their various roles?

The speaker describes the impact of poor cultural competence as significant across their roles as a professor, scientist, licensed clinical psychologist, and a black woman in America, where they witness the effects of racism, bias, and lack of cultural understanding in academia, healthcare, and personal experiences.

What is the significance of the movie 'Crash' scene in the context of the training session mentioned by the speaker?

The speaker highlights the movie 'Crash' scene as an example of poor cultural competence in a training session aimed at teaching distress tolerance to black youths. The scene's depiction of police brutality reinforces negative stereotypes and is inappropriately used to induce stress.

Why does the speaker argue that cultural competence should not be treated as an achievable goal?

The speaker argues that treating cultural competence as an achievable goal is misguided because it implies a finish line, whereas it should be an ongoing journey of learning and engagement with diverse cultures and experiences.

What are some of the disparities the speaker mentions in the healthcare system affecting black patients?

The speaker mentions several disparities in healthcare, including higher mortality rates for black patients with heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS, less likelihood of receiving gold standard treatments, and the ineffectiveness of medical devices like pulse oximeters for individuals with dark skin pigmentation.

How does the speaker connect the patient's experience of imposter syndrome to broader societal issues?

The speaker connects the patient's experience of imposter syndrome to broader societal issues by suggesting that it could be a result of stereotype threat, which is stress and anxiety that arises from the fear of conforming to negative stereotypes attributed to one's racial or ethnic group.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to improve cultural competence trainings?

The speaker suggests improving cultural competence trainings by including a variety of information sources, addressing intersecting identities, engaging in meaningful conversations, setting tangible goals, and focusing on the roots of racism and bias rather than just the symptoms.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of authenticity and how is it connected to cultural competence?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of authenticity because it is a privilege that can be perceived as a threat due to racial bias. Authenticity is connected to cultural competence as it involves understanding and respecting individuals' true selves, which includes their racial and cultural identities.