Brian’s BookshelfLet me begin by declaring a potential conflict of interest. The author and contributors are all good friends of mine. I have watched this remarkable book take shape over the past six years at meetings of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management and I am delighted, provoked, and anxious about the result. Let’s begin with the delight. Through a variety of methods, all executed exceptionally well, the collaborators on this book have brought their seasoned practices of taking cultural competency seriously and building greater capacity for nonprofits as a result. This is a book about building a just society. It seeks to promote social change that enhances life for everyone in our communities. It provokes conversations that can change the world by drawing people together in a common endeavour to co-create a better future. It does not shy away from the tough challenges in convening and sustaining those conversations. It pushes us to go way beyond respecting diversity and being charitable to embracing the other as a brother or sister and working with them to create something new – the capacity in all communities to overcome personal and institutional racism by being open and curious about being on a journey to justice together. The Introduction to the book takes a serious look at conversation as a tool for transformation. Part One introduces the stories and perspectives of 5 capacity builders in the five major ethnic communities in the US – African American, American Indian, Asia/Pacific Islander, Latino, and White. These contributions help readers understand not only the range of cultures among those groups, but also the range within those groups. Cultural competency is complex stuff. Part Two describes key aspects of cultural competency – the importance of discovering context, of making it a community process, and of using it as a means of changing institutions. Context, community, and change are the vertebrae in the backbone of this guide to greater cultural competency through conversations. Part Three provides a rich range of resources to help initiate and guide the conversations into constructive paths. And that brings us to the provocation. The authors do not sugar coat how tough these conversations and practices are. In their educational work prior to and after the publication of this book, they found that most people identified cultural competency as the most important question to address in a changing world, but those people feared and/or avoided entering into the conversations about it. St. Onge and her colleagues wanted to create a resource that helped people find “a safe and productive way” to have the conversations. They have succeeded magnificently. My anxiety about this book is that people will not read it and that we will not use its thoroughly tested methods to build better futures. There are no quick fixes for overcoming personal and institutional racism. It happens one conversation after another among people who normally don’t talk to each other about things they don’t normally talk about. But if we are to flourish, it has to happen. So read this book, take it to heart, embrace the practices suggested, and build those better futures we all desire. About Brian Fraser
About Vantage PointThe mission of Vantage Point is to inspire & build leadership in the voluntary sector. This publication is intended to be a medium of communication and information for the many organizations active in the volunteer and not-for-profit sector. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the Board of Directors of Vantage Point. Vantage Point |
