Cultural Humility

Teaching Artist Kim Grier a Black cisgender woman and dancer passionately speaks to a large group of students in blue shirts.
 
 
 

What is Cultural Humility?

Cultural Humility is a dynamic and lifelong process focusing on self-reflection, acknowledging one’s own biases. It recognizes the shifting nature of intersecting identities and encourages ongoing curiosity rather than an endpoint.

 
  • “Cultural humility requires historical awareness - in order to practice true cultural humility, a person must also be aware of, & sensitive to, historic realities like legacies of violence and oppression against certain groups of people. For example, if you are a white person pushing into a classroom of black and brown students, what is the awareness you are bringing into the space with how you see, work with these students…” `Hogg Foundation’s “3 Things to Know”

    The ability to understand and appreciate the cultures and belief systems of others and hold them at the same value as your own. A personal commitment to critical self-reflection and self-evaluation.

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    https://www.youtube.com/embed/wDIGXUzULug

    Members of Pittsburgh University discuss the importance of cultural humility at the university
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    https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Mbu8bvKb_U

    "Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices,"
    a documentary by San Francisco State Professor Vivian Chávez, that explains what "Cultural Humility" is and why we need it.
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    Cultural Competency vs Cultural Humility

    Cultural humility means admitting that one does not know and is willing to learn from students about their experiences, while being aware of one’s own embeddedness in culture(s). While competence suggests mastery, humility refers to an intrapersonal and interpersonal approach that cultivates person-centered approaches.

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    Approaching with Curiousity

    Succinctly, the overall goal is to learn about the other person’s culture as opposed to reflecting on one’s own background only.  To create meaningful relationships in the communities we serve with empathy, unbiased assumptions, and being aware of privilege. While challenging your own values and beliefs.

 

Why?

We will never be able to fully understand someone elses full identity and cultural experiences. By recognizing this it allows us to approach from a place of curiosity and recognition that we have things to learn and are not experts.

 
 

What do you have to do to support it?

Commit to the ongoing development of a practice of cultural humility,  competency, and representation.

 
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    Institutionally

    Build a culture that supports all learners by hiring a diversity of artists, and administrators who are demographically representatives of the community in which we serve.

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    Personally

    A lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique whereby you not only learn about another’s culture, but also start to examine your own beliefs and cultural identities and how they intersect with the intersections of your students’ identities.

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    In-Community

    Recognize power dynamics and imbalances, work together to fix those power imbalances and develop partnerships with people and groups. Continue to hold our community accountable – understanding impact over intentions.

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    What are the barriers?

    Biases, and power imbalance and not actively working to neutralize them. The lack of interest in adapting to different cultural contexts.
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    What's interrupting?

    Lack of cultural humility, assumptions, family dynamics, racism, lack of accessibility, lack of willingness to dismantle systems of oppression.
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    How do you prime the environment?

    Know who is in the room, what they are bringing and what assets they have. Providing and valuing multiplicity of art forms and artistic genres from around the world.

 

What does it look like?

Continuous and intentional work. A commitment to consistent practice and personal development. Centering your students in the space and new situations.

 
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    How to activate it in your curriculum/teaching?

    Develop cultural self-awareness as well as awareness of other individuals in the room. Gain cultural knowledge about others we interact with.
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    Understand and redress

    power and imbalances and hold institutions and ourselves accountable.
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    When you see this, try…

    When I see a student with culturally distinctive food, try to give them the opportunity to share about what that dish means to them in their family. This could be translated to movement, music, hairstyles, clothing, heroes, heroism, holidays and cultural traditions, etc.

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    Ask yourself…

    Am I aware that to learn more about others I need to understand and be prepared to share my own culture?

    Am I being equitable and inclusive when interacting with my students?

    Am I looking critically at my presence in the community I am serving?

 

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy affirms and respects the key components of the Asset-Based Pedagogies that preceded it, but also takes them to the next level. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy views classrooms as places where the cultural ways of be...

 
  • silouetted students in a tableaux in front of a painted blue background
    Curriculum can serve...
    • As a mirror – reflecting and amplifying student’s identities or experiences,
    • As a doorway – introducing new experiences, identities and experiences that differ from their own,
    • As an amplifier – implying value, and importance.
  • “...more of a process than a strategy. It begins when a teacher recognizes the cultural capital and tools students of color bring to the classroom. They are then able to respond to students' use of these cultural learning tools positively by noticing, naming, and affirming when students use them in the service of learning. The most common cultural tools for processing information utilize the brain's memory systems -- music, repetition, metaphor, recitation, physical manipulation of content, and ritual. The teacher is

    From Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

    Learn More
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    Support students celebrating their full selves through the arts. Within your discipline, share from an open viewpoint. Consider what information or perspectives you are sharing and what tactics you use to do so. Define origin stories throughout the work and offer opportunities inside of the art form itself. Be expansive & intentional with the art you share.

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    Who & what are you Representing?

    By representing a diverse range of art and artists, you amplify their importance in the canon of your artistic form and their value in the minds of your students.
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    Your curriculum content should showcase art and artists from different cultures, genders, classes, sexualities and with differing abilities.
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    Inclusive curriculum supports students’ abilities to empathize, connect, and collaborate with a diverse group of peers, builds a sense of belonging, and raises the awareness of all stude...
 

Reflect

Since a key piece of this work is a personal commitment to critical self-reflection and self-evaluation – a huge element of this work is ongoing reflection.

 
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    Ask Yourself
    • What are our assumptions about our own background experiences and expectations and the impact it has on our own identity?
    • Am I practicing listening to the needs of the community I am serving and understanding the importance of the individual identities that we interact with?
    • Am I practicing culturally relevant care and diversity in my clas...
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