Anthony Ashby, FACHE – Developing Multicultural Competence

Developing Multicultural Competence

You must model the behavior you want to see in others. A quote from Margaret Mead says, “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” We are all different, which is what makes us all the same. Diversity comes in so many various forms, it is essential to recognize that just as you identify as diverse in a specific way, others do as well. Just as you want people to support your uniqueness, you need to be intentional about learning and understanding other’s uniqueness as well. The patients, families, and workforce we serve represent a multitude of diversity and to best serve them, we need to understand both what makes us different and similar.

We must also be inclusive in our inclusivity. We can inadvertently perpetuate more bias by becoming too focused on the bias we experience. This can create division and competition through marginalized groups trying to compete and compare their own struggles with others. Instead, when you intentionally seek to learn about all forms of biases, it creates solidarity and helps once again reinforce that we all experience bias in some way or another and, in that way, we are all connected.