What I Learned About Cultural Proficiency and Why Being "Color-Blind" is Nothing to Brag About

Drafted while snacking on cold orange slices and watching reruns of Glee.

I recently attended the Cultural Proficiency Institute at CSU San Marcos and was surprised to learn so much about myself, my biases and the ways in which I unintentionally perpetuate injustice. I was moved by the work and went home feeling so enlightened that I felt compelled to share some of my reflections. Here it goes.

Insight #1 - Everyone has a role in oppression. I was surprised to learn that even I, as a woman of color, who is an immigrant to this country, an English language learner, and a mother to multi-racial children, can be just as much an agent of oppression as the person who is opposite of me. Gasp! The fact that my skin color is brown or that I had to learn the English language and assimilate into the American culture does not preclude me from contributing somehow to injustice. Say what?!

Once I got over my shock and stopped being defensive, I realized how true this really was. Yes, I am a member of an underserved population and can relate to their experiences, but because my hard work and successes have moved me into a certain "status groups," I am given cultural power.

• I am educated
• I am heterosexual
• I am Christian
• I am between the ages of 25-55
• I am of the middle-class
• I have purchasing power
• I am able-minded and able-bodied

All of these other identifiers place me in the "dominant culture" and give me power to influence others, and even puts me in a place of privilege. Me, privileged??? Yes. Mind. Blown.

So what does that mean for me and those like me? It means we too are responsible for becoming active agents of change, and to move from being allies to becoming advocates for those who are underserved, whether the underserved we mean are women, people of color, those in poverty, or members of the LGBTQ+ community. But to get started requires some serious reflection. We must invest the time to look inward and examine all the variables that contribute to making us who we are - the "who" we believe we are, and the "who" that others perceive us to be. That process includes examining how racism and other forms of oppression, which exists even within our own ethnic cultures and families, impact us, stunt our growth, and permeate the way in which we perceive the world. Then we need to get a clear understanding of where we sit on the game board and where we can choose to exert our influence.

Insight #2 - Being a person of color does not make me culturally proficient. How is that possible? I wondered especially because I had first hand experience of some of the very challenges being culturally proficient was supposed to help overcome. Did not those experiences make me naturally more knowledgeable than everyone else? The answer is no. Perhaps it makes me empathetic, but being born ethnic did not automatically give me the skill sets or a free pass straight to cultural proficiency. Cultural proficiency is not a birth right, it is an intentional practice, a mindset, a complete paradigm shift that requires constant nurturing. And before you can even put it into practice, you need to understand what it is.

So what does it mean to be culturally proficient? According to the Cultural Proficiency Continuum, cultural proficiency is "knowing how to learn and teach about different groups, having the capacity to teach and to learn about differences in ways that acknowledge and honor all the people and the groups they represent, holding culture in high esteem, and seeking to add to the knowledge base of culturally proficient practice by conducting research, developing new approaches based on culture, and increasing the knowledge of others about culture and the dynamics of difference."

Honestly, I had to read that a few times and sit in workshops for two days to even grasp the concept. I am not even close to being there and clearly have so much to learn and a lot more work to do.

Insight #3 - Being "color-blind" is nothing to brag about. Why? Because it is a level of acceptance on the continuum that allows us to be satisfied with treating everyone the same way. There was a time when we were taught that being "color-blind" was the level to aspire to, probably because it was better than the alternative at the time. But in this type of mindset, we are refusing to see the differences among and between each other. It is a mindset that perpetuates the tendency to avert our eyes away from subtle forms of racism, intolerance and hate and it can foster inequity. 

Remember this viral photo of the kids standing on the same size box peering over a fence? That is an example of being color-blind, giving everyone the same thing but not giving everyone what they actually need. It is a great way to make people feel good, but to ensure that nothing really changes. So I ask you, is that something to be proud of?

I have a long way to go in my cultural proficiency learning and I still do not have many answers, but I am committed to the journey because I believe it will make me a better person and parent, a productive contributor to the well-being of our society, and a more valuable leader for my staff at work and the members we serve.

I recently saw a quote that resonated with me and it said,

"A hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people." 

While I don't strive to be a hero (because that sounds like a hard job!), I will strive to do what is right and within my power to make brave changes that will benefit all of us and the generation to follow.

I am proud of the work that our organization, the Association of California School Administrators, has embarked on with regard to equity and diversity. The timing couldn't be more right. Progress is power.

What are your thoughts around this topic?