Proficient Competency – Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Black Issues Conference Presentation
During my first semester at Bowling Green State University, I researched, created, and presented with cohort members about the historical roots and present impact of the ‘N word’. This presentation topic was chosen because I noticed how commonly students, and even staff members, use the word in public spaces on campus. While creating the presentation, I had to work through my own beliefs regarding the word’s usage and ensure that I was not instilling my personal values on others. Moreover, we facilitated dialogue with a majority of African American students on the topic while challenging them to analyze the word’s power when used by different racial groups. This experience helped me to “integrate cultural knowledge within specific and relevant diverse issues on campus,” “facilitate dialogue effectively among disparate audiences,” and “design culturally relevant and inclusive programs, services, policies, and practices” (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 10).
CSP 6035: Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs
During spring 2014, I took a course about multicultural competency in student affairs. By participating in the course, I developed an “awareness of the effects of structural inequalities and prejudicial exclusion in higher education … [and how] difference, discrimination, bias, and privilege manifest on college campuses” (Lunceford, 2014). We achieved this outcome by learning about different identities and how those intersecting identities were viewed in systems of oppression and privilege. I demonstrated my achievement of this outcome through the creation of our multicultural program design and assessment on the perceptions and preferences of skin complexions among African American/Black women on college campuses. Similar to the outcomes of this course, my experience helped me to “recognize the intersectionality of diverse identities possessed by an individual” and “articulate a foundational understanding of social justice and the role of higher education… and the individual in furthering its goals” (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 10).
