In this edition of “In Conversation With…,” Helen Wong Smith, archivist and librarian for University Records at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, expands upon her June 2020 CoSA webinar on the meaning and importance of cultural competency. In this wide-ranging conversation, Smith offers a definition for cultural competency, discusses its critical importance in light of the increasing multicultural of communities, and considers the implications for institutions that continue to ignore systemic racism and social inequities. She offers advice to state archives leaders and staff for making space to practice cultural competency.
This series of conversations is presented by the Council of State Archivists, focusing on contemporary issues shaping the work of state archives. The series is made possible by a National Endowment for the Humanities CARES grant. In recognition of this crucible moment in which humanities institutions and records repositories find themselves, the conversations in this series will span three broad topic areas: Diversity and Inclusion, The Workplace Here and Now, and The Future of Work and the Workplace.
"In Conversation With...": Helen Wong Smith Discusses Cultural Competency (Video)
Smith's June 2020 webinar for CoSA on "How Cultural Competency Promotes Diversity and Inclusion in Your Archives"
Helen Wong Smith's presentation at the 2015 Society of American Archivists Plenary (Video)
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