Our nation comprises of different races that for centuries have not entirely embraced cultural competence due to the continuous lack of race empowerment. Although the trend is changing since the late 1960s, the ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs that surround people as they grow up in the form of perception about themselves and their place in the world. These issues are the barriers of cultural competence as they have not entirely changed. The aim of this essay is to give a personal experience on race, empowerment, and cultural competence.
As a young African-American boy, I grew up in an environment where access to basic needs and amenities was involved. The crime rate was high, and the rampant shootings in the area dominated the sites as I walked to school every night. Being from a religious family, I grew up as a religious boy aiming to end the sufferings of my community by spreading the love to everybody, but it would not be an easy thing. Before joining high school, I lost a cousin from police brutality in the allegation he was a criminal although there was no evidence to prove the allegations. As our extended family tried to seek justice from the states and federal courts, the courts showed no interests leading to high spending with no justice in the end. Joining high school resulted in experiencing the injustices of racism as we were few African-Americans and other minority groups, for instance, the Latin Americans. The whites always had the final say in everything making life difficult for the rest of us. Any theft or criminal activity in the school meant we, the blacks and Latinos, were the first suspects (Malgady, & College, 2011).
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People in power are the most likely to change and enable the adoption of cultural competence. This became evident when a new principal arrived. He changed the administrative setting by making an African-American his deputy. He also enabled that the staff acted as an example to empowered race interrelationship and interdependence (Mizock, Harkins, & Morant, 2011). Most of the crimes were handled by a committee of all races and justice was made. The counselor who was white had similar objectives as she ensured the school made it mandatory for all activities to be undertaken by people with different ethnicity. Sports that were only for the whites were now welcoming the minority groups. It was a challenging thing in the beginning, but the administration push made it easier. Within two years, the issue of minority groups spending most of their time together was fading due to the acceptance that every ethnic group and identity had a role to play in making the school atmosphere better (Mizock, Harkins, & Morant, 2011). The efforts, success of the system and the interrelationship with all the races changed my perception on the whites as I hated them since the brutal killing of my cousin.
Change and acceptance of the ethnic diversity of the demographic population are not easy as it was challenging for my family to accept my white friends during summer vacation. Whites were seen as the virus for freedom and suffering for the minority groups (Mizock, Harkins, & Morant, 2011). I even discovered that ethnocentric practice dominated my community and family following the illness of my mother. She with the support of most of my family resented seeking medication from my friend’s white mother who was an experienced doctor. They claimed that white doctors are only competent when serving white patients. It is hard to bare seeing her health deteriorate but her pride in maintaining her dignity by only visiting African-American physicians in the community was baffling (Malgady, & College, 2011).
Since we were not economically able, the white doctor used her connections to ensure I accessed sponsorship and that was enough to convince my family the need of accepting and adopting cultural competence. My mother visited her, and in a few months, she was fine. My dad being a mechanic by profession was able to acquire white customers as most got his details from the white family. The change boosted our economic status thus the notion of the minority is rapidly evolving. The interdependence of every ethnic group as illustrated portray that everybody no matter his/her ethnicity has something to offer thus need for cultural competence to eradicate the vices racism creates (Malgady, & College, 2011).
References
Malgady, R. G., & College, T. (2011). Cultural competence in assessment and intervention with ethnic minorities: Some perspectives from psychology and social work . Oak Park, Ill.?: Bentham eBooks.
Mizock, L., Harkins, D. A., & Morant, R. (2011). Researcher race: Social constructions in the research process . Charlotte: Information Age Pub.
