Writing with a lens of cultural humility

Even when we are writing about seemingly “neutral” subjects like explaining processes or sharing everyday information, our identities influence what we create and how we perceive information. This overview is a brief introduction to the idea of cultural humility and why it matters for anyone who communicates in their job.  

Understanding our identities

We all have identities that are important to us and shape how we exist in the world.  

Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality decades ago to describe the way that one’s varying identities and social status can compound in ways that result in privilege as well as oppression. For example, the American Association of University Women notes that women still earn about 84 cents for every dollar a man earns, and that amount is even lower for Black women, older women, and others.  

Key ideas around cultural humility 

Cultural humility goes beyond understanding that we have different cultural identities and a desire to learn about them. It means asking ourselves: How can we use privilege we may have to make systems that work for everybody?  

Moving toward cultural safety + anti-oppressive practices 

Cultural humility involves a commitment to… 

Reflecting on your own practices

Examining how power and privilege in your work

Being okay with discomfort and the unknown

Continuing to make and advocate for change

Fostering a lens of cultural humility in your communications 

Some ideas and examples to think about: 

Be curious about language and how it changes (because it does!)	Some of our older materials still use the term ‘at-risk youth,’ but this doesn’t align with our current values and how we want to talk about youth.
Listen to + raise up the knowledge of people with lived experience	We should talk to parents on staff BEFORE we revise the parental leave plan to get a better sense of what’s working and what’s not working.
Avoid racist, sexist, and heteronormative language	Let’s change this reference in the handbook from ‘he/she can sign up …’ to ‘you can sign up …’ to be accessible for our non-binary team members.
Think about your own cultural identities + what you might be leaving out	I notice the healthy eating guide doesn’t have any meal examples from Middle Eastern cultures, but we work with many Afghani families.

Reflecting on your work 

• What values are important to community members you communicate with? How do you incorporate those values into communications? 

• When was a time you assumed something about someone and later realized you were wrong? What did you learn from the situation? 

• How do you get feedback from staff or community members, and how do you make changes in response to that feedback? 

Additional resources

• Hogg Foundation for Mental Health – 3 Things to Know: Cultural Humility 

• Provincial Health Services Authority's collaborative site -  Culturally Connected 

• University of Oregon – Cultural Humility Toolkit 

Clear Language Lab Cheat Sheets are brief summaries of foundational topics we talk about often at the Clear Language Lab. Questions or errors you want to report? Contact Tiara Whitlock, Program Manager, at tiara@litworks.org.

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