Culture & Diversity
“Thinking Outside the Boxes”
Culture & Diversity Committee
Goals
“Thinking outside the box.”
Provide awareness, knowledge, and skills
to promote respect for diversity so that we
may be more effective engaging
shareholders
What is Culture?
Culture influences view of reality and every
aspect of life
It is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving
that is passed from one generation to the
next
Multicultural perspective recognizes that
client may hold values/ beliefs that are
different from the counselor
Diversity is a two-way street- we bring out
own cultural heritage and clients bring
theirs
What is Culture?
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of
knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes
and religion by a group of people generally
without thinking about them.
“Those who are willing to address cultural differences directly are those
who do not perceive them as impediments and those who view these
differences as positive attributes will most likely meet and resolve the
challenges that arise in cross-culture interaction. Such an individual is
‘culturally-skilled.” (Sue and Sue 1990)
What is Culture?
In its BROADEST sense, culture includes not
only race and ethnicity but also:
 Social class
Gender
Age
Affectional orientation
Disability
Marital status
Religion, etc.
Examples of Culture
Language, Practices, Customs, Food,
Clothing, Religion, Superstitions,
Architecture, Holidays, Celebrations, Dating
Rituals, Art, Music
National Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate
Services (CLAS) Standards
Principal Standard
Provide effective, equitable, understandable and
respectful quality care and services that are
responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and
practices, preferred languages, health literacy and
other communication needs.
National Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Services
(CLAS) Standards
Governance, Leadership and Workforce
 Advance and sustain leadership that promotes CLAS
and health equity through policy, practices and allocated
resources.
 Recruit, promote and support a culturally and
linguistically diverse governance, leadership and
workforce
 Educate and train using culturally and linguistically
appropriate policies and practices
National Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Services
(CLAS) Standards
Communication and Language Assistance
 Offering language assistance to individuals who have
limited English proficiency and/or other communication
needs
Engagement, Continuous Improvement and
Accountability
 Creating culturally competent goals within the organization
 Regularly assessing services provided
 Maintaining accurate data
 Partnering with community resources
Culturally Diverse Shift
In our culturally diverse society it is
essential that we are able to practice in a
multicultural competent manner
The United States is shifting from a society
comprised of people from primarily White
European backgrounds to one in which
most will be from non-White, non-European
backgrounds
Demographics State & County Wide
People Quick Facts
South
Carolina
Aiken
County
Population, 2013 estimate
4,774,839
NA
Population, 2010
Persons under 5 years, percent, 2012
Persons under 18 years, percent, 2012
Persons 65 years and over, percent, 2012
Female persons, percent, 2012
White alone, percent, 2012 (a)
4,625,364
6.3%
22.9%
14.7%
51.4%
68.4%
160,099
5.6%
22.1%
16.5%
51.6%
71.8%
Black or African American alone, percent, 2012 (a)
28.0%
24.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2012 (a)
Asian alone, percent, 2012 (a)
0.5%
1.4%
0.5%
0.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent, 2012 (a) 0.1%
Two or More Races, percent, 2012
1.6%
Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 (b)
5.3%
0.1%
1.8%
5.1%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012
67.5%
64.0%
Demographics with ABDMH
Gender
Male
Feamle
910
1169
Race
White
African- American
Spanish American
American Indian
Other
1161
838
13
1
26
Ages
00-17
18-64
65+
595
1383
101
Projected Statistics

It is estimated that by 2050:
 The percentage of white population will decline
from 67% to 47%
 The African-American population will represent
15% of the population
 Latino population will make up 29% of the U.S
population
 Asian and Pacific Islander will represent 9%
 American Indian and Eskimo will represent 1%
 LGBT population is estimated to represent 5 %
of the U.S. population over 18 years old
 (Pew Research Center)
Culture & Diversity
Services Offered
within the Community
Knowledge
Seek out knowledge that will enhance
understanding of clients who are culturally
different from them
Knowledge about history of other cultures
Understanding implications of racism, oppression
Knowledge of language or slang of other cultures
Knowledge of resources
Knowledge of counseling interventions that are
appropriate. Arredondo et al., 1996; Pendersen et
al., 2002)
The South Carolina Commission for
Minority Affairs
The Southeast US has become the new
settlement area for Hispanics between 1990 and
2004.
North Carolina 575% population growth
Arkansas 508% population growth
Georgia 450% population growth
South Carolina 327% population growth
http://www.state.sc.us/cma/
803-648-6836
African-American






South Carolina African-American Guide
Public Resource
Notable SC-Americans
Timeline 1525-1997
Historic African-American places in SC
church, schools, communities,
landmarks and museums
Festivals and Events
African-American Historical Alliance


Non Profit organization
Leading resource for education and
celebration of African American Civil War
and Reconstruction History in SC
African-American SC Chamber of
Commerce



Advocate for prosperity, progress and the
success within every county and community in
SC as it relates to African-American Business
Many Companies: law firms, accounting,
insurance companies, marketing and
advertising firms
Starts with idea for a company, the Chamber
looks into what the idea needs to transition into
a company, then they contact the companies in
their network to help make it into a reality
The Center African American
History, Art, and Culture



Has not opened yet
Vision is to bring tourism to Aiken
County as a stop on the SC National
Heritage Corridor
Forum for celebrating both Aiken's
diversity and it's sense of community
PASOS






Founded in 2005
Help Latino Community and service
providers work together for strong
healthy families
They accomplish this through education,
support, and grassroots leadership
Family and Community Health Programs
Education to individual and families on
Family Health and Prevention
Prenatal Education
Hispanic Connections, Inc






Founded in 2000
Provide interpretation and translation services
Advise on creative marketing
Offer courses of Spanish or English as a second
language
Publish the South Carolina Hispanic Business
Directory
Promote the annual Cinco De Mayo festival in
Columbia, SC
SC Hispanic Leadership Council





Non profit organization established in 2002
Specialize in advocacy, education and
networking
Based in Columbia, SC
Lobby for Immigration Reform
Sponsor the “REACH” Scholarship for
Latino Students.
Native American







SC Native American Affairs
Non Profit
Influencing public policy and state services
Develop and implement statistical data
Addressing the needs of the population
7 State recognized Tribes
1 Federal recognized Tribe
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center

Provide education and advocacy to
our states legislative delegation on
immigrants rights and the need for
comprehensive immigration reform
at the federal level
Filipino




Filipino-American Association of Greater
Columbia
Non profit organization
Goal is to promote inter-cultural education
and understanding
To preserve and promote the cultural
heritage of Filipinos
Chinese




U.S. Chinese Culture Center
Non Profit
Classes that educate about Chinese Culture
such as Tai Chi, martial arts, Chinese
Calligraphy, Cooking, Chinese Cultural Training
Prepare others to teach in China
Muslim-Islamic
First Ever Islamic Shrine in SC was started
in 2002 in York County, SC
Information Center-Graniteville, SC
Anderson, (7)Charleston, Clemson,
(5)Charleston, Conway,(2) Florence,
Greenville, Monks Corner, Orangeburg,
(2)Rock Hill, Spartanburg
Services Utilized and Offered by
DMH
Palmetto Interpreters
803-233-7251
Palmetto.interpreters@gmail.com
Transportation
Best Friend Express
Logisticare (Medicaid
Transportation)
Cultural Competency in the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Populations
 Societal Norms
 Deafness is not a disability.
 Respecting a Deaf person’s primary language shows
respect for them.
 Deaf people value each other, their culture and their
shared experiences.
 Hard of Hearing people often identify with Hearing
culture.
 Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss can often be more
frustrating to live with than deafness.
Barriers to Accepting Others
Perceptions
Bias
Prejudice
Stereotypes
Racial Stereotypes &
Misconceptions
















All Muslims are terrorists.
All white people don't have rhythm.
All Blacks are lazy.
All Asians are sneaky.
All Hispanics don't speak English very well or not at all.
All Jewish people are greedy, selfish money hungry people.
Caucasians can't dance.
Russians are violent.
All Americans are cowboys.
All Italians are stylish and sophisticated. They are usually painters, sculptors or
fashion designers.
Germans are Nazis or fascists.
All Asians are Chinese.
All Asians speak Pidgin English.
All Native Americans love to gamble.
All Middle easterners hate America.
All Italians are good cooks.
Negative Stereotypes &
Misconceptions
 All blond women are dumb.
 All red heads are sluts.
 Christians are homophobic. They are blinded by God and will recruit you if you
go near them.
 All politicians are philanders and think only of personal gain and benefit.
 If I wear Goth clothing I'm a part of a rock band, depressed, or do drugs.
 Girls are only concerned about physical appearance.
 Guys are messy and unclean.
 Men who spend too much time on the computer or read are geeks.
 Men who are not into sports are termed as gay.
 All librarians are women who are old, wear glasses, tie a high bun, and have a
perpetual frown on their face.
 Girls are not good at sports.
 All teenagers are rebels.
 All children don't enjoy healthy food.
 Only anorexic women can become models.
 Women who smoke and drink do not have morals.
 Men who like pink are effeminate.
Positive Stereotypes &
Misconceptions
 All Blacks are great basketball players.
 All Asians are geniuses.
 All Indians are deeply spiritual.
 All Latinos dance well.
 All Whites are successful.
 Asians have high IQs. They are smarter than most in Math and Science.
These people are more likely to succeed in school.
 African Americans can dance.
 All Canadians are exceptionally polite.
 French are romantic.
 All Asians know kung fu.
 All African American men are well endowed.
 Italians are good lovers.