I hope you are all staying safe and well during these very challenging times. As we continue to explore cultural diversity, equality and inclusion, and consider how to take measures to correct the inequities in treatment access, I would like to offer some resources I have found helpful. Last week I “attended” a webinar hosted by NAATP, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. Philip Rutherford, COO of Faces & Voices of Recovery, presented Telling the Truth: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Addiction Recovery World.
Phil challenged attendees in 4 areas:
Get educated – He suggested reading, movies, podcasts, etc – Please see TAAP’s email on June 8th for a list of resources.
Listen and believe – When someone shares their experience or perspective be sure to listen, truly listen. Believe them! Don’t attempt to convince them their experience was not their experience, especially if it is different from yours.
Practice humility & self-reflection – Phil said cultural competence is a process and none of us ever fully arrive. Stay willing to learn and have a better understanding.
Learn to make repairs – Have those hard conversations where there may have been hurt or anger.
I found his perspective to be helpful and appreciated his challenge, so I offer it to you for your own personal reflection. I have been fortunate in my life to have people willing to have uncomfortable conversations. I realized I need to be seeking out more of those during this time.
Phil also offered a resource for our organizations - The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide: Embracing Equity: 7 Steps to Advance and Embed Race Equity and Inclusion Within Your Organization. It is available for free download here https://www.aecf.org/resources/race-equity-and-inclusion-action-guide/
From the website: Advancing race equity and inclusion can sometimes seem daunting and often leaves many wondering how and where to start. One way to achieve social change in an organization is to incorporate race equity and inclusion at every stage of work. The seven steps in this guide provide a clear framework for undertaking this important work. This tool adds to the resources already created by partners who have been working in the field. It works by demonstrating how a race equity lens can be adopted by foundations or other organizations that work directly with systems, technical assistance providers and communities. In this report you will learn:
An equity and inclusion framework for understanding different dimensions of racism.
How to identify and analyze the root causes of racial inequities.
Key terms, concepts and definitions relevant to race equity.
How to talk about race by establishing shared values and a common understanding.
How to advance and embed race equity and inclusion in your organization.
Questions that bring together stakeholders to achieve social change.
How to set goals for racial equity and track and measure progress.
How to assess the impact of policies and other actions on racial and ethnic groups.
Also last week NAADAC released info on more offerings in the Cultural Humility Webinar Series. As always, NAADAC webinars are free to anyone to watch and CE credit is free to NAADAC/TAAP members. These can be found here https://www.naadac.org/cultural-humility-webinars.
