In the twenty years that the anti-sexual assault movement has existed, most programs have not been very successful at providing culturally appropriate services to people of color. As a woman of color, I am often asked to come and provide workshops on "cultural sensitivity." This section will be devoted to the goal of cultural competency.

Cultural competency has been defined in a variety of ways. It is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or professional and enable that system, agency, or professional to work effectively in responding to the unique needs of populations whose cultures are different than that of dominant or mainstream America. According to Webster, culture is "the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech and beliefs of a racial, religious or social group." Competence is defined as "having requisite, adequate ability, and qualities." The concept of cultural competency is based on the assumptions that we all represent a culture and that we have the capacity to adapt services in order to work toward cultural competency. Although the model of cultural competency can and does apply to any disadvantaged group, my focus is primarily on people of color.

The prerequisites for achieving cultural competency are willingness to acknowledge that oppression is institutionalized, commitment to combat racism and ethnocentrism at every level (i.e. institutional racism) and that the commitment must be actualized by a plan of action for the organization. Nowadays, when I'm asked to speak on "cultural sensitivity," I only agree to do so if the organization has met these prerequisites. The number of presentations I am doing on "cultural sensitivity" has significantly diminished.

Individual work to achieve cultural competence

1. Awareness and acceptance of the wide range of cultural diversity.

Be aware of differences in values, communication styles, spirituality, definitions of family AND be accepting of those differences. It is good to actually embrace those differences as those are the client's allies in healing

2. Awareness of one's own cultural values and identity.

Understanding how cultural conditioning influences our beliefs about human behavior, values, communication, biases, etc.

3. Understanding how differences may impact the client/counselor relationship.

Realizing that those differences can either help or hinder the way in which services are provided.

4. Knowledge of client's culture.

Taking the time to learn as much as possible about the culture of those who could potentially utilize program services. Making a conscious effort to learn of their values, how they define heating, how they view healing, the nature of their social structure, etc.

5. Utilizing this information to begin to adapt services and skills.

This is an important factor because historically, people of color have always been expected to adapt to the dominant culture's institutions in order to access services.

Some factors that may require adaptations:

• where services are offered
• communication styles
• places you refer your client for further help
• internal modifications (staffing, bilingual resources, decor to reflect diversity, etc.)

Program goals to achieve cultural competence

It is essential that the goal of becoming culturally competent does not just rest with individuals but that it is the responsibility of the entire agency. The goal of cultural competency must be an ongoing planning process. It can begin with taking an inventory of the organization.

1.Evaluate the agency's commitment to cultural competency.

• Is commitment reflected in the mission statement (any references made to inclusivity, pluralism, etc.)?
• How may people of color are being served?
• Is there a plan to work at improving services to people of color?
• Does the planning involve members of that community? (It is critical that programs don't take on a paternalistic relationship, but more of a partnership.)

2. Evaluate the agency's structure, internal functions, decor.

• Does the structure invite input from underserved groups?
• How are decisions made?
• What is the history of the agency?
• Is the office decor reflective of cultural diversity?
• Are written materials culturally appropriate?
• Bilingual?
• Are there interpreters available?

3. Evaluate characteristics of staff and board.

• Does the staff and board reflect the cultural diversity of the local community?
• Do individuals have contacts in any of the communities of color?
• Assess staff's specific knowledge about people of color.
• How effective is the agency's affirmative action plan in recruiting, hiring, retaining and promoting people of color?

This is only a beginning. The process of becoming culturally competent is a long-term. on-going process. Upon taking the aforementioned inventory. it is important that the agency plans to make necessary adaptations. For centuries, people of color have been victims of institutional racism whereby the agencies that were designed to help people of color were actually contributing to cultural genocide. Cultural competency exists on a continuum from being culturally destructive to culturally competent. It is critical that our programs strive toward cultural competency because there are people of color in our communities in need of accessing our services. We need to remove the barriers and to embrace the differences.

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