The Sin of Racism & How to Overcome It

Sue & Sue (2019) developed the tripartite model which has 3 components focused on the attainment of cultural competence: awareness, knowledge and skills. The University of Buffalo did an excellent job of discussing each component which will be stated below:

Awareness
- Awareness of one’s attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, biases and values
- Awareness of self, the other, and the relationship
- Understanding one’s own culture and heritage and how they may influence one’s worldview
- Awareness of one’s abilities and limitations
Knowledge
- Specific information about others’ cultures
- Understanding of the dynamics of oppression
- Information about relevant theories
- Knowledge about how race, culture, and other social identifications may affect behaviors, attitudes, feelings and interventions
Skills
- Designing appropriate interventions
- Incorporating learning in new situations
- Ability to recover from cultural errors and to tolerate, manage, and resolve intercultural conflict
- Ability to deconstruct one’s assumptions and core beliefs
These components may appear simple to achieve but, in actuality, they are not. They are simple in words only.

Awareness requires one to take the time to to truly understand themselves which includes learning and acknowledging their cultural, ethnic, racial, and familial history, both the good and bad. In addition, people must acknowledge their own prejudicial and discriminatory beliefs as well as privileges (regarding privileges: acknowledgement occurs only if one possesses it).

Knowledge involves taking the time to conduct in-depth research about other cultures, ethnicities, and races. The information cannot be based on hearsay or stereotypes. Information must be based on facts and best practice research. They must also be based, if a community is available, on direct information which involves discussions, not just one discussion but multiple discussions, to best understand other people's cultures, ethnicities, and races.

Skills involves the actual, not assumed, ability to work with and support individuals from different cultures, ethnicities, and racial background. It involves the ability to listen first before speaking, to respectfully ask questions, to develop rapport, and to successfully support those who possess the beautiful differences that must be embraced and loved not disdained.

In addition, it is important for an individual to understand where they are in regards to their own racial identity. Racial identity models such as the ones below should be explored:
- Perspective on American Indian Identity Development (Perry G. Horse, 2005)
- Asian American Identity Development Model (Jean Kim, 1981, 2001)
- Black American Racial Identity (William Cross, 1971, 1991, 2001)
- Latino Identity Orientations (Bernardo Ferdman and Plácida I. Gallegos, 2001)
- White Racial Identity Development Model (Janet Helms, 1995)
- Biracial Identity Development (W.S. Carlos Poston, 1990)

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The Sin of Racism & How to Overcome It

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