This document summarizes a presentation about cultural humility, racial equity, and protective factors in parenting. It discusses how parenting is influenced by culture and context. While parenting is key to child outcomes, there is no single parenting standard - parenting must be understood within a cultural context. The presentation emphasizes developing cultural humility, which involves lifelong learning, self-reflection, and recognizing power imbalances. It also discusses implicit bias and structural racism as key constructs to understand differences in perceptions of racial injustice.

1. Cultural Humility, Racial Equity, &
Protective Factors
a presentation at the
Children’s Trust of South Carolina
Prevention Conference 2017
“Embracing Prevention, Empowering Communities”
October 2, 2017
Columbia, SC
Charlyn Harper Browne, PhD
Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy

2. Strengthening Families’
Culture Hypothesis
The protective factors are universal, in that
they apply to all families, yet they may be
manifest in culturally specific ways.

3. Parenting is. . .
 The single largest variable implicated in poor
childhood outcomes
and
 The single largest variable implicated in healthy
or improved childhood outcomes
 Buffer against harm and adversity
 Mediator of damage
 Optimize children’s potential
 Maximize opportunities for potential to
flourish

4. A Caveat about Parenting
Parenting is contextual.
Common Assumption: “Poor families” have
poorer parenting skills because of the various
social conditions they experience (e.g., economic
inequities, community gang violence, limited
resources).
Emerging Evidence: “Families experiencing
poverty” do not necessarily have weaker skills or
fewer of the qualities that aid child development
than do families living elsewhere.

5. “Traditional” Conception of Parenting
 There is a single parenting norm/standard that
all parenting must be compared to.
 Thus:
Differences = Deviances = Deficiencies
 This minimizes or ignores important
differences in what cultures expect of and
understand about parenting and parent-
child relationships.

6. Parenting is a Cultural Act
 Culture influences parents’:
 Beliefs
 Definitions (e.g., “good parenting”)
 Values
 Expectations of children
 Behaviors
 Culture influences parent-child relationships
 Culture influences how parenting programs are
delivered and whether they are
accepted/effective

7. Iceberg Analogy of Culture
Surface Structure (external elements)
dress * food * music * drama visual
arts * celebrations * traditions * etc.
Deep Structure (internal elements)
ethos * norms * values * worldview
The ways people make sense of their
reality and lived experience
 Ontology
 Epistemology
 Axiology
 Cosmology

8. Culture Defined
 “A set of values, beliefs, and ways of thinking
about the world that influences everyday
behavior” (Zepeda, Gonzalez-Mena, Rothstein-
Fisch, Trumbull, 2006, p. 2).

9. Research Findings:
Different racial and ethnic groups seem to
 understand aspects of parenting differently
 have different perceptions about when children
should reach milestones
 view the importance of sources of information
differently (Kim & Hong, 2007; Lubell, Lofton, &
Singer, 2008; Melendez, 2005; Pinderhughes,
Dodge, Bates, Pettit, & Zelli, 2000; Spicer, 2010).

10. Typical Strategies for Being Culturally
Responsive
Building:
 Cultural Sensitivity: The awareness of and
sensitivity to others’ practices and cultures
 Cultural Competence: Knowledge about
diverse cultures

11. Often Overlooked Strategy
Cultural Humility: A willingness to suspend what
you know, or what you think you know, about a
person/a group of people based on generalizations
about their culture
 Shifts the focus of trying to understanding other
people to a focus on self-awareness
 Acknowledges that one’s own perspective may be full
of assumptions and prejudices
Tervalon, M. & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility vs. cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining
physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117.

12. Principles of Cultural Humility
Tervalon, M. & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility vs. cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining
physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117.
 Lifelong learning and critical self-reflection
 Recognizing and challenging power
imbalances for respectful partnerships
 Institutional accountability

13. Cultural Humility: Principle 1
Lifelong Learning & Critical Self-Reflection
 Investigating and acquiring an understanding of
key constructs
 Understanding the complexities of individual
and collective culture
 Examining one’s own assumptions, prejudices,
and expectations about others; trying to figure
out how to suspend judgments

14. Key Construct:
Reframing “Differences”
 Reject the idea of a single human norm and the idea
Differences = Deviances = Deficiencies
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our
inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those
differences.” Audre Lorde

15. Key Construct:
Welcome “The Elephant”

16. Declaration. . .
 This an open environment in which we not only
acknowledge the elephant in the room, we must
welcome it!
 To have a dialogue in an authentic way, we must be
willing to venture into some challenging and
uncomfortable territory.

17. Race
White Privilege
“I believe in the power
and mystery in naming
things. . . In naming
what is right in front of
us because that is
often what is most
invisible.”
Eve Ensler,
The Vagina
Monologues
“When we name the
things that make us
uncomfortable or
afraid, then demons
are faced, silences
are broken, and
freedom is won.”
Eve Ensler,
The Vagina
Monologues
Inequities
Differential Treatment
Racism
Implicit Bias

18. Reasons This is a Difficult Discussion
 Uncomfortable and highly emotional
 Not understanding the types of racism
 Failing to acknowledge the pervasive role of race
 Preferring to address symptoms rather than the
roots of social problems
 Preferring to address issues of gender and social
class rather than race

19.  Several studies have shown: “Whites and
People of Color differ greatly in their
perceptions of race and racial inequality in
America today” (Byrd & Mirken, 2011, p. 4).
Byrd, D., & Mirken, B. (2011). Post-Racial? Americans and
Race in the Age of Obama. Berkeley, CA. Greenlining Institute.
Another Reason. . .

20. Examples of Differences in
Perceptions of Racial Injustice
“When you are a minority and refute the notion that you were
charitably allowed into a club—that you were being done a favor,
not that you earned it—you will be punished, until it has been
determined that you have learned your lesson.”
Browne, R. (2017, September 12). Colin Kaepernick has a job. The Bleacher
Report. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-colin-kaepernick-anthem-
race-in-america
The Los Angeles City Council voted to eliminate Columbus Day from
the city calendar and replace it with “Indigenous Peoples Day”,
siding with activists who view the explorer as a symbol of genocide
for native peoples in North America and elsewhere.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-indigenous-peoples-day-
20170829-story.html

21. Key Construct: Implicit Bias
The unconscious emotions and stereotypes that
affect our understanding, actions, and decisions
 Activated involuntarily and without an individual’s
awareness or intentional control
 Develop across the lifespan through exposure to
direct and indirect messages, and through
media images and messages
http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/

22. Key Construct: Racism
 Racism is a SYSTEM: structures, policies, practices,
and norms
 A worldview that overtly and covertly attributes
value and normality to White people and
whiteness, and devalues, stereotypes, and
labels ‘People of Color' as ‘other,’ different,
less than, or render them invisible.
Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change
Jones, C. P. (2003). Confronting institutionalized racism in public health. Atlanta, GA: Emerging Investigations and Analytic
Methods Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

23. Individual and Inter-Group Racism
 Personal feelings, beliefs, and actions:
◦ Microaggressions
◦ Personal prejudices
◦ Use of racial slurs
◦ Inter-group tensions
◦ Lack of diversity and inclusion
◦ Lack of cultural humility
Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change

24. Structural Racism
 Historical, social, political, institutional, and cultural
factors that contribute to, legitimize, and
facilitate the maintenance of racial inequities
 Aspects of our history and culture that have
allowed the privileges associated with
“whiteness” and the disadvantages associated
with “color” to endure and adapt over time
Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change

25. Environment
Health
Housing
Education
Employment
Criminal
Justice
Institutional Racism
The ways in
which
institutional
policies
and practices
create different
outcomes for
different racial
groups
Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change

26. U.S. Department of Education Report
Hsieh, S. (2014, March 21). 14 disturbing stats about racial inequality in American public schools. The Nation. Retrieved from
www.thenation.com/blog/178958/14-disturbing-stats-about-racial-inequality-american-public-schools#
1. Black students accounted for 18% of the country’s
pre-K enrollment, but made up 48% of pre-school
children with multiple out-of-school suspensions.
2. Black students represent 16% of America’s public
school students, but represent 27% of students
referred by schools to law enforcement, and 31% of
students arrested for an school offenses.
3. Black students tend to get less instructional time
because they’re far more likely to receive out of
school suspensions or expulsions.

27. Dept. of Education Report, cont.
Hsieh, S. (2014, March 21). 14 disturbing stats about racial inequality in American public schools. The Nation. Retrieved from
www.thenation.com/blog/178958/14-disturbing-stats-about-racial-inequality-american-public-schools#
4. A quarter of the schools with the highest percentage
of Black and Latino students did not offer Algebra II;
a third of these schools did not offer chemistry.
5. Black, Latino, and Native American students
attended schools with higher concentrations of
first-year teachers (3-4%) than White students (1%).
6. Black students were more than three times as likely
to attend schools where fewer than 60% of teachers
met all state certification & licensure requirements.

29. Key Construct: White Privilege
The implicit attribution of superiority.
Benitez, M., Davidson, J., & Flaxman, L. (2009). Small schools, big ideas: The essential guide to successful school transformation.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

31. Internalized White Privilege
“It is the role, responsibility, and moral imperative of
White, anti-racist transformational leaders who are
committed to achieving equity to:
 take a critical look at their own privilege
 recognize and discuss this privilege as it relates to the
tacit assumptions they and their colleagues may hold
 develop the courage to use their privilege to challenge
racism in institutional settings.”
Benitez, M., Davidson, J., & Flaxman, L. (2009). Small schools, big ideas: The essential guide to successful school transformation.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

32. Cultural Humility: Principle 2
Recognizing and Challenging Power
Imbalances for Respectful Partnerships
 Relinquishing the assumption of a hierarchy in a
relationship (e.g., one w/answers-one w/problems).
 Recognizing that each person/group brings
something different into an interaction.
 Both people/groups must collaborate and learn
from each other for the best outcomes.

33. Recognizing and Challenging Power
Imbalances for Respectful Relationships
“The real tradition of this country is a testing of the limits
of people of color, to see how we can be pushed until we
either give up (and give in) or fight back (and die). The
remaining option—to persist—is the one that has always
been inconvenient for White America. Colin Kaepernick
is inconvenient.“
Browne, R. (2017, September 12). Colin Kaepernick has a job.
The Bleacher Report. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-
colin-kaepernick-anthem-race-in-america
“It is not about the flag or the anthem. . . . This is a
protest about whether or not the country has fulfilled its
promise of equal protection under the law to all of its
citizenry.” Wright, N. (2017, September 27). Fox News.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/26/1701881/-Incredibly-
powerful-host-asks-the-question-media-outlets-aren-t-asking-about-
the-NFL-protests

34. Cultural Humility: Principle 3
Institutional Accountability
 Organizations should model principles 1 and 2
 Develop partnerships with people and groups
who advocate for others
 Cultural humility, by definition, is larger than
individuals—it must be addressed systemically

35. Diversity vs. Inclusion
 Diversity: creating an organizational environment that
reflects differences with respect to race, ethnicity, age,
gender identity, sexual orientation, education,
socioeconomics, religion, etc.
 Inclusion: proactive behaviors that make each person in
an organization—especially those who have been
historically marginalized—feel welcomed and a genuine
part of the organizational culture, including decision-
making.
Diversity is being invited to the party;
inclusion is being asked to dance.

36. Equality vs. Equity
Equality and equity are two strategies that can
be used to produce fairness.
 Equality is treating everyone the same.
 Equality can only work if everyone starts from
the same place and needs the same help.
 Equity is providing the opportunity for everyone
to get what they need to be successful.

37. Equality vs. Equity

38. Risk and Protective Factors
Risk Factors
Conditions or attributes of individuals, families,
communities, and the larger society that increase
the probability of poor outcomes.
Protective Factors
Conditions or attributes of individuals, families,
communities, and the larger society that
simultaneously mitigate or prevent the impact of
risk factors and actively enhance well-being.

39. The SF Protective Factors
 Parental Resilience: Managing both general life and
parenting stress, and functioning well when
faced with stressors, challenges, or adversity;
outcome is personal growth and positive change
 Social Connections: Having healthy, sustained
relationships with people, institutions, the
community, and a force greater than oneself
 Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development:
Understanding the unique aspects of child
development; implementing developmentally &
contextually appropriate parenting practices

40. The SF Protective Factors, cont.
 Social and Emotional Competence of Children:
Providing an environment and experiences that
enable the child to form close and secure adult
and peer relationships, and to experience,
regulate, and express emotions
 Concrete Support in Times of Need: Identifying,
seeking, accessing, advocating for, and receiving
needed adult, child, and family services; receiving
a quality of service designed to preserve parents’
dignity and promote healthy development

41. The Strengthening Families Approach
and Cultural Humility
 Encourage parents to articulate how the
protective factors are understood and
manifest from their cultural and family
perspective
 Encourage providers to conscientiously
engage in cultural humility

42. “The fact that we are here and that I speak
these words is an attempt to break (the) silence
and bridge some of those differences between
us, for it is not differences which immobilize us,
but silence. And there are so many silences to
be broken.” Audre Lorde

43. Contact Information
charlyn.harperbrowne@cssp.org