Working for Justice
by Kikanza Nuri Robins
 I
grew up in a time when everyone around me was working
for justice. Whatever your ethnicity, gender or social class,
if you were not white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant (WASP)or middle
class, you legitimately could claim to be a victim of social
injustice. And if you were a WASP, you could either complain
that no one had given you any special privileges or weep with
guilt about what your ancestors had done to those who were less
fortunate. Those in power worked to either change the thinking
of those who protested or to change the behavior of others who
shared their power.
I knew that organizations only changed when the people who
ran them changed. I also knew that systems like institutionalized
racism and sexism were perpetuated within organizations without
the consent and often without the awareness of the people in
those organizations. I knew that many activists, once they won
concessions for social change, didn't know how to work collaboratively
with the people against whom they had protested and fought. I
knew that many people in positions of privilege and power resented
being attacked for what they had and resisted the demands to
change and give up what they thought was rightfully theirs. I
knew that I needed a different approach if I was going to continue
to work as an advocate and catalyst for social justice. I found
it in an approach called cultural competence.
Kikanza Nuri Robins is a pastor in the Presbytery of the Pacific.
Her ministry is helping individuals and organizations heal and
transform. She is currently assisting the leaders of the Presbyterian
Center in Louisville as they work to become culturally proficient.
To learn more, visit www.kikanzanurirobins.com.
To learn more about cultural proficiency in the January/February
2004 issue of Horizons. Call 800/524-2612 to subscribe
or order now
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