S17: Teaching and Learning for Cultural Competency in the Profession
Cultural competency is generally understood to be the ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. This structured conversation—open to all—seeks to deconstruct and analyze the tools utilized in public history training, such as texts, projects, and field experiences.How do these teaching and learning tools encourage the development of culturally competent public historians? What opportunities exist to make adjustments in the way current—and future—public historians are trained?
Panelists: LaQuanda Walters-Cooper (@lwalterscooper), Amber N. Mitchell (@anichellemitch), Camille Bethune-Brown (@CuratingCamille), and Ashley Bouknight (@NicNat_artifakz)
The panel used the Future Protocol Method to develop ways in which we can start the process of enacting cultural competency at various levels in the field. You can find out more information below.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wbN9QeR9fkWrqKDqVQS4Pqz93V1VL_D1-NuEnQ1OMZ8/edit?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dLvx4SHPtzlcTJ9I3iUkckq7YliH5IC9Q5oedxcsZXY/edit?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook
Origins of this session:
https://storify.com/anichellemitch/public-historians-of-color-s29-ncph2016</div><div class=”s-attribution”><div class=”s-source s-storify”><a href=”https://storify.com” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”><div class=”s-source-icon storifycon-logo”></div></a></div><div class=”s-author”><a href=”https://storify.com/anichellemitch” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow” class=”s-author-name”>Amber N Mitchell</a></div><div class=”s-clear”></div></div></div><div class=”s-clear”>
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https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855110823613779969
https://twitter.com/historein/status/855117567157047296
https://twitter.com/DDMeringolo/status/855117517760733185
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855117557048758274
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855117524467372036
https://twitter.com/_a_sherry_/status/855117422411620353
https://twitter.com/DDMeringolo/status/855113948361875457
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855113937263755264
https://twitter.com/historein/status/855113796892979200
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855113003108356098
"Future Protocol" frames discussion of how we want the profession to look in future. (Scott Murphy, National School Reform) #ncph2017 #S17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
We are in small groups in #S17 using the Future Protocol for discussion. #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
The Future Protocol requires you to think backwards and forwards in time, so it can be challenging to use the first time #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Engaging the past to create better future #s17 #ncph2017
— Amanda Sherry (@_a_sherry_) April 20, 2017
What are the obstacles to cultural competency? Where are we now? What are the components? What are our strengths? #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
How do you build and deconstruct at the same time? Can you use the Master's Tools to dismantle the Master's House? #S17 #NCPH2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
How do you get woke? How do you embrace your blindness as a place of growth? #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
What do we want the (short term) future of public history to look like? #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/oldelectricity/status/855121201345286147
Future Protocol: transform the core public history reading list to broadly diversify content, authors, frameworks, models #ncph2017 #S17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Future Protocol: meaningful partnerships and relationships with marginalized communities (specifically tribal communities) #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Future Protocol: move from critique to decolonization of the field #s17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Future Protocol: Make space to actively change the field #s17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Future Protocol: What does the field look like, sound like, field like now? #s17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Right now, public history is not inclusive, people do not feel in agency; public history is not translating to change #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Right now, public history inclusiveness feels superficial. Excludes people who process differently, for example #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Contexts in which we operate are historically structured & shape expectations/trust yet lack shared understanding of purpose #s17 #ncph2017
— Amanda Sherry (@_a_sherry_) April 20, 2017
Right now contexts in which we operate are historically structured, shape expectations, trust, lack of shared understanding #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Right now: we skip over the trauma. privilege does not want to deal with pain. #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Right now, we talk about intersectionality but it is difficult to really live with an understanding of it #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
How can we move from awareness of privilege to being willing to relinquish privilege; share privilege. #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Tangible Step: create truly interdisciplinary public history programs that have multiple points of entry #S17 #ncph2017
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Tangible Step: establish pathways for students who do not have history backgrounds; would open the doors to other people. #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Tangible Step: build relationships; collaboration across institutions; not only inside your institution #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/oldelectricity/status/855128936816275458
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855129221441740802
https://twitter.com/kristamccracken/status/855130168104505344
What does public history look, sound, feel like now and how do we change it? #s17 #ncph2017 pic.twitter.com/6DRoXmsk1o
— Amanda Sherry (@_a_sherry_) April 20, 2017
If goal is not transformation –of the field, of training, of practice– we are not realizing vision of cultural competency #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/oldelectricity/status/855131474550456320
Group Sharing: How might an institution make their collections more culturally competent in 5-10 years? #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
"We started out with 'how do you change a collections policy?' And we ended up changing an entire institution." #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
Are we trying to create a more inclusive past or should we be focusing on creating a more inclusive FUTURE? #s17 #ncph2017
— Amanda Sherry (@_a_sherry_) April 20, 2017
During group sharing, brilliance from the floor: "How do thing change? someone asked. someone listened. someone said yes." #ncph2017 #s17
— Denise D. Meringolo (@DDMeringolo) April 20, 2017
How do you create change? Someone asked. Someone listened. Someone said yes. #s17 #ncph2017
— Amanda Sherry (@_a_sherry_) April 20, 2017
How do you make your institution culturally competent? 1. Someone asks (about gaps) 2. Someone listens 3. Someone says yes #s17 #ncph2017
— Cameron Walpole (@cameron_walpole) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/oldelectricity/status/855134420021514246
https://twitter.com/rebeccarunsabit/status/855212961836797954
I fell down on tweeting b/c the convo in the room was SO GOOD. THANK YOU #s17 for such a meaningful, productive session #ncph2017
— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/jessie_cortesi/status/855138253665705988
https://twitter.com/jessie_cortesi/status/855139376283746305
How does change happen?
Someone asked.
Someone listened.
Someone said yes.#ncph2017 #s17— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/cameron_walpole/status/855148736300953600
Facilitated a great conversation abt cultural competency in pub history w/ @NicNat_artifakz @lwalterscooper @CuratingCamille #ncph2017 #S17 pic.twitter.com/KtKgeiI1lV
— 🧝🏿♀️Amber N Mitchell🧜🏾♀️ (@anichellemitch) April 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/oldelectricity/status/855148692382375938
Interested in more information regarding diversifying NCPH? Get involved with the Diversity Task Force and propose future panels, working groups, and roundtables so that a variety of voices are heard! Most importantly, don’t leave these conversations at the annual meeting–take the future protocol back to your organization and make actionable goals to move towards cultural competency. You won’t be able to solve all the problems and not immediately, but you will start the process.
Remember: change happens when someone asks, someone listens, and someone says yes.
After Storify announced they were discontinuing their services in 2018, NCPH preserved these Storifies on our website.