Accountability Through the Lens of Cultural Humility: A Call to Action
Words shared at this moment seem insufficient to make sense of the pain that many of us are feeling because of the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Their murders are not isolated incidents, but a pattern of systemic violence against Black people that goes back centuries. Many are in denial that white supremacy is infused into the systems and institutional structures of the United States but anti-blackness, structural racism, and white superiority are at its core. The only way to eradicate this is to take decisive action at the personal and institutional levels moving forward.
On the personal level, we urge everyone to engage in professional development opportunities that take us from our comfort zone to our learning edgei, which encourages us to better understand our multiple identities and the oppressions and privileges we have internalized about those respective identities. In doing this, we will all have a clearer sense of how our positionality impacts how we show up at Humboldt State and influences our interpersonal relationships with students and colleagues as well as our contributions to shape policy and systems.
The cultural humility framework teaches us that we must be curious lifelong learners and critically self-reflect on ourselves while holding this same level of accountability at the institutional level. It is important that we grow in our understanding of how systems of power, privilege, and oppression influence how Humboldt State works so what works can be celebrated and what is problematic can be made visible and changed.
Stay tuned for offerings on the Cultural Humility framework to support our ongoing work for racial equity and racial justice.
Here are some useful webinars to watch during a break in your day:
Racial equity webinars:
Keep an eye on cultural humility sessions offered through:
L4HSU will be offering learning sessions this summer pertinent to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please stay tuned.
With gratitude and humility,
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI)