LibGuides: Cultural Fluency: Inclusion

When everyone is included, everyone wins.

~Jesse Jackson

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A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.

~Sundar Pichai

What is Inclusion?

"Inclusion refers to how diversity is leveraged to create a fair, equitable, healthy, and high-performing organization or community where all individuals are respected, feel engaged and motivated, and their contributions toward meeting organizational and societal goals are valued." This definition comes from Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World by Julie O'Mara, Alan Richter, and 80 expert panelists, sponsored by The Diversity Collegium, 2014. Also: Diversity and Inclusion, Definitions of. (2015). In J. M. Bennett, (Ed)., The Sage Encyclopedia of Intercultural Competence. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 267-269. HM1211 .S24 2015 ebk ebooks on EBSCOhost

Image from Special Education Degrees: Your Guide to a Career in Special Education

In The Inclusion Paradox - 2nd Edition - by Andrés T. Tapia , the author explores ... the cultural implications of what it takes to move into the next generation of diversity work to grow business and attract and retain the best talent. He makes the case that the work of diversity and inclusion has never been more urgent, particularly as everything has globalized at a massive scale. It's one thing to acknowledge the diversity already here, quite another to make the most out of it. 'Diversity is the mix. Inclusion is making the mix work' Tapia says of this reality. Which means that inclusion is hard. Very hard. Harder than diversity itself. Inclusion defines the challenge all leaders face as they address the dramatic shifts of diversity--racial, ethnic, generational, gender, sexual orientation, faith, personality, nationality, and on--in our workplaces and communities."

What is Multiculturalism?

(2008). Multiculturalism. In Terry Mizrahi & Larry E. Davis (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Social Work. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 20 Feb. 2014.
“The ideology of including people of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds in an organization's workforce, faculty, student body, or customer base. ‘Multiculturalism as an ideal has been regarded both as the entitlement of cultural groups and as a form of civil rights grounded in human dignity and the equality of cultures. It is seen as a move toward interculturalism, the beneficial exchange where cultures learn about each other (Anderson & Collins, 2007). Cultural diversity is an essential component of multiculturalism, leading to a broader representation of perspectives, worldviews, lifestyles, language, and communication skills. Acknowledging diversity suggests that subordinate groups are not necessarily required to give up their identity or assimilate to dominate norms (Lum, 2004; Weaver, 2005). For dominant groups, this may mean that new ways of relating to those of different cultures need to be acquired.’”
(2002). Multiculturalism. In Craig Calhoun (Ed.), Dictionary of the Social Sciences. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 19 Feb. 2014.
"The development of multiculturalism as an intellectual theme and social movement has been most prominent in the United States—although it has spread rapidly to other countries. Debates over the content of education in the 1970s and 1980s were pivotal in this process. These centered primarily around multiculturalist arguments for expanding the curricula to include the history and work of marginalized groups (e.g., African Americans, Native Americans, women, immigrants—and later Hispanics, Asians, gays, lesbians, and other minorities). They also urged enlarging the canon of 'great works' to include texts originating outside the Western tradition.”

Inclusion

What is Cultural Competence/Competency?

"Cultural competence refers to 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."

(2015). Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers Press. p. 13-14.

"Cultural competency is "the capacity to function effectively in cultural settings other than one's own. This will usually involve a recognition of the diversity both between and within cultures, a capacity for cultural self-assessment, and a willingness to adapt personal behaviors and practices."

VandenBos, G.R. (Ed.). (2007). APA Dictionary of Psychology. 1st ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. REF BF31 .A63 2007

Inclusive Language

The Importance of Using Inclusive Language
In this passionate talk, diversity trainer and activist Fahad Saeed addresses the persistent myth that inclusive language and acronyms create more barriers than they tear down. Sharing his own experiences as a gay Muslim man born to immigrant parents, he explains how redefining the constructs around personal identity can have positive repercussions in marginalized communities and beyond.

Social Inclusion in Education

Center for Social Inclusion
Founded in 2002, CSI’s mission is to catalyze community, government, and other institutions to dismantle structural racial inequity and create equitable outcomes for all. We craft and apply strategies and tools to transform our nation’s policies, practices, and institutions, in order to achieve racial equity.

What Is Cultural Humility?

Cultural Humility, Part I — What Is ‘Cultural Humility’?
To practice cultural humility is to maintain a willingness to suspend what you know, or what you think you know, about a person based on generalizations about their culture. Rather, what you learn about your clients’ culture stems from being open to what they themselves have determined is their personal expression of their heritage and culture, what I call their personal culture.

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A discussion on The Social Work Practitioner blog. Includes a definition and video.
Cultural Humility, Part II – Promoting Cultural Humility In the Workplace
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As the author sees it, "Understanding the reality of this dynamic and how it plays out in so many realms, we serve ourselves and our clients very well to remember (yet again) not to practice from a textbook. When it comes to understanding the unique experience of any given individual, cultural competence is theory, cultural humility is practice."
Cultural humility: Essential foundation for clinical researchers
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Katherine A. Yeager, PhD, RNa,* and Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN
Fisher-Borne, M., Montana Cain, J., & Martin, S. L. (2015). From Mastery to Accountability: Cultural Humility as an Alternative to Cultural Competence.
Social Work Education, 34(2), 165-181. doi:10.1080/02615479.2014.977244

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"...the concept of cultural humility takes into account the fluidity of culture and challenges both individuals and institutions to address inequalities. This article takes a critical look at cultural competence as a concept, examining its explicit and implicit assumptions, and the impact these assumptions have on practitioners. It suggests that cultural humility may offer social work an alternative framework as it acknowledges power differentials between provider and client and challenges institutional-level barriers."

Inclusion Makes the World More Vibrant

In the News

Advocates worry vaccines will be out of reach for Black and Hispanic neighborhoods devastated by COVID-19
COVID-19 has been disproportionately deadly for communities of color in Texas. And advocates for those communities are worried that they will have more trouble accessing vaccinations than the white population because of where vaccination sites are located.
JUAN PABLO GARNHAM AND MANDI CAI JAN. 9, 2021
10 Small Steps for Department Chairs to Foster Inclusion
In times of crisis, inclusion becomes more important than ever, as stress can cause well-intentioned leaders to resort to bias and exclusion.
Ethel L. Mickey, Ember Skye Kanelee and Joya Misra
Inside Higher Ed June 5, 2020