By Shanda Kersey
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
As identity politics and cultural misunderstandings persist in the United States, Towson University’s Center for Student Diversity hosted a cultural competency workshop Wednesday afternoon.
“These kinds of events help to inspire learning about different cultures and creating inclusive communities, especially on campus,” said Miguel Rodriguez, the graduate assistant for cultural competency education in the Center for Student Diversity. “You see a lot of tension on campuses across the country and just in our society in general. Work like this can definitely inspire a positive change.”
Rodriguez, who conducted the workshop and presentation, said that events, classes and workshops are necessary because American society must continue addressing the injustices identified by the Civil Rights Movement.
“I think this is all stemming from a need to rebuild after a time of intense injustice,” Rodriguez said. “We’re dealing with the aftermath of some of the worst atrocities in human history, so we are trying to do the patchwork in order to have a more inclusive culture in America and in the world.”
According to Rodriguez, workshops like these are great, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the world will change immediately.
“I would like to think that the more we do it and continue to educate people and work to get better, the numbers will start to increase,” Rodriguez said. “We want to make it taboo to not be cultural competent.”
The workshop, held in the Center for Student Diversity in the University Union, included a presentation that explained what cultural competency is and why it is important. During the workshop, attendees got free pizza and drinks. Throughout the presentation, attendees engaged in exercises with each other to help them understand how cultural competency works in every day conversations.
Rodriguez said cultural competency is the ability to understand one’s own culture and identities as well as the cultures and identities of others.
For the 8 students attending the workshop, this was an opportunity for them to learn what cultural competency is and how to incorporate that knowledge into their daily lives.
“As someone who has a multilayered identity and has experienced systemic and socialized injustices, it’s really important to learn about different people’s experiences,” said Cara Figueroa, a women’s studies senior at Towson. “If anything, it will just tell you what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, even though you can’t literally do that.”
Figueroa said that she felt this demand for cultural competency and the desire to understand other cultures is something that is unique to this generation. She said it is not that there was no demand or desire for cultural competency in past generations, but there are more people today who seek to educate themselves. She also feels that it has to do with environment.
“I try to be as patient as possible with people because I understand that not everyone has access to information,” Figueroa said. “I personally come to events like these and try to see if I can really change myself because at the end of the day, that’s the only thing you can really change.”
Lewis Laury Jr., a sophomore psychology student at Towson, agreed with Figueroa. He said that the best way to reach a large number of people and eventually have the results that Rodriguez mentioned is to start with a small group of people who are willing to educate themselves.
“I feel that it is important to teach a small group of people, so that small group can teach a larger group of people,” Laury said. “It’s all about passing information down. So, events like this, even though it is small scale, have a big impact on the future. It’s a domino effect.”