History of Cultural Humility
The concept of cultural humility has its roots in the development of cultural competence, which emerged during the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Initially, cultural competence was conceived as a framework for physicians to effectively engage with diverse patient populations and address health disparities and institutional inequities in the field of medicine. However, it later evolved into the concept of cultural humility, which was coined by Melanie Tervalon, Ph.D. and Jann Murray-García, Ph.D. in 1998.
Cultural humility goes beyond the notion of cultural competence by emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, historical awareness, and a willingness to engage in an ongoing process of learning and understanding. This concept encourages individuals to critically examine their own values, beliefs, and societal positioning, while acknowledging and respecting the experiences and perspectives of others. It underscores the significance of acknowledging personal biases and actively working to mitigate their impact when interacting with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The principle of cultural humility has become increasingly important in various professional fields, particularly in healthcare and social services, where practitioners are required to navigate multiple cultures and provide care to diverse populations. By promoting self-awareness and a commitment to lifelong learning, cultural humility aims to foster more inclusive and respectful interactions, ultimately contributing to greater equity and understanding in society.
Cultural humility goes beyond the notion of cultural competence by emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, historical awareness, and a willingness to engage in an ongoing process of learning and understanding. This concept encourages individuals to critically examine their own values, beliefs, and societal positioning, while acknowledging and respecting the experiences and perspectives of others. It underscores the significance of acknowledging personal biases and actively working to mitigate their impact when interacting with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The principle of cultural humility has become increasingly important in various professional fields, particularly in healthcare and social services, where practitioners are required to navigate multiple cultures and provide care to diverse populations. By promoting self-awareness and a commitment to lifelong learning, cultural humility aims to foster more inclusive and respectful interactions, ultimately contributing to greater equity and understanding in society.
Faciliator Bio
Crystallee Crain Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary public health scholar and human rights activist. She has academic roots in sociology, political science, and psychology. She specializes in exposing the layers of institutional inequality while supporting communities to shift ways of being and practice to improve life chances by bridging the worlds of academia, healing, and advocacy. Crystallee’s body of work represents a collective need to strengthen our responses to violence through transformative means, the need for liberatory practices, and a focus on healing as a revolutionary strategy for change. Crystallee holds an academic appointment with California State University – East Bay in the Department of Political Science and at Simmons University in the Masters of Public Health Program (Health Equity). She’s also the elected board chair of the Seeding Justice Foundation (PDX). Crystallee is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Prevention at the Intersections, which works to prevent violence and other forms of harm through community-based research and people-centered projects. At Prevention at the Intersections, she publishes two open-access journals, CATALYST and The Beauty of Black Creation. Recently, the 2nd Edition of her textbook - A People’s Primer: Dispatches on Politics & Social Change (2022), was released. In 2023 Dr Crain published two textbooks with TopHat (Canada) the first title: Community, People & Place: California Public Policy and the second title: The Re-Imagination of Black Political Spaces. In June 2024, she published the Cultural Humility in Practice Workbook (available on our homepage).
Dr. Crain facilitates trainings with an emphasis on trauma, prevention science, and community capacity-building. She has worked with organizations across the country to support them in actualizing social justice and people-centered values in the development and implementation of their mission and vision. Clients have included: the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Justice Outside (California), The Oregon Alliance, San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (SFCIPP), Community Cycling Center, State of California, Clackamas County, University of California, Partnership for a Hunger-Free Oregon, and Dress for Success Oregon.
Crystallee earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. She holds a Master of Arts in Social Sciences (a concentration in Sociology from Eastern Michigan University), and a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Northern Michigan University. In 2013 she received executive training in Health and Human Rights from the School of Public Health at Harvard University. Dr. Crain has served as a member of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission, The City of Portland's Human Rights Commission, and is a current member of the American Psychological Association and the American Evaluation Association.
Dr. Crain facilitates trainings with an emphasis on trauma, prevention science, and community capacity-building. She has worked with organizations across the country to support them in actualizing social justice and people-centered values in the development and implementation of their mission and vision. Clients have included: the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Justice Outside (California), The Oregon Alliance, San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (SFCIPP), Community Cycling Center, State of California, Clackamas County, University of California, Partnership for a Hunger-Free Oregon, and Dress for Success Oregon.
Crystallee earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. She holds a Master of Arts in Social Sciences (a concentration in Sociology from Eastern Michigan University), and a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Northern Michigan University. In 2013 she received executive training in Health and Human Rights from the School of Public Health at Harvard University. Dr. Crain has served as a member of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission, The City of Portland's Human Rights Commission, and is a current member of the American Psychological Association and the American Evaluation Association.
