Bridge Building, Intersectionality and Inclusion
Workshop
Nicola Andrews
NCSU Libraries Fellow
NCSU Libraries
Sunny Kim, MLIS
Teen Librarian
The Seattle Public Library
In this interactive session, we introduce participants to cultural humility, clarify how it is different from cultural competence, and demonstrate why it is an essential framework for resisting racism and bias in library work. Cultural humility encourages deep reflection, and learning from others. It is also an ongoing commitment to achieving racial and social justice that everyone can benefit from participating in. As a framework that centres other cultural perspectives, it has the potential to critique and work towards dismantling power structures, resulting in more inclusive and meaningful library services and interactions.
Participants in this session will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural humility framework, name and reflect on their own privilege and identities, and get practice in interrupting scenarios of bias and problematic behaviour. The presenters will also briefly talk about some of the challenges of this work, and answer any questions participants may have about designing their own cultural humility training. Lastly, this workshop will provide resources and recommendations for those who want to continue to engage in cultivating cultural humility.
This workshop is based on “Implementing Cultural Humility Training at The Seattle Public Library”, a six-month project undertaken by the presenters as the Capstone for their Master of Library & Information Science degrees at the University of Washington Information School in 2017. The researchers created this workshop based on principles of critical pedagogy, and their own lived experiences in navigating micro-aggressions and barriers to equity. The finished project was awarded the “MLIS Best in Class Award”, and components of the project have since been implemented by The Seattle Tutoring Coalition.
Sunny Kim is a Teen Services Librarian at The Seattle Public Library; and uses They/Them pronouns. Nicky Andrews is an NCSU Libraries Fellow at North Carolina State University, and uses either She or They pronouns.