Alice Walker famously said, “the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” This quote fits perfectly in with one of the competencies is highlighted within the Leadership Consultant (LC) role is acting with an awareness of social and cultural dynamics.
Working towards cultural competency been a passion of mine since graduating as a STEP (Student Transition Empowerment Program) scholar the summer before my freshman year at Mason. Since then I have continued to research and understand systems of privilege and oppression that exist within our society and how I could navigate that within myself and communities I am a part of. As an LC, I have been able to continue my understanding of cultures and using my knowledge of awareness of social and cultural dynamics when working within the office and the different students that are involved with LEAD initiatives.
With the students that are involved with LEAD through different programs, I have tried to intertwine leadership development through an understanding of personal identities and systems. Most notably, Taylor and I led a workshop for the Leadership Mason Conference on challenging safe spaces to help Mason leaders deepen their understanding of diversity here at Mason. More recently I was involved in speaking for Mason DREAMers as a previously undocumented student about my story of being a queer person of color. This event really embodies why I ever got involved in leadership development: historically and culturally people with my identities aren’t given the opportunities to hold these positions and bring those experiences to the table. Being an LC and understanding the historical and personal backgrounds of the identities that make up who I am continue to live within me and push me to strive to higher levels of understanding social and cultural dynamics. Through different collaborative efforts, I have also been able to work with other LC’s in leading facilitations, workshops, and going to events together to help build and widen our understanding of social and cultural dynamics as well working with other students and aiding them in their journeys of understanding these topics.
While working with students, one challenge area that I was really able to build and foster was working with students who were at different stages of their cultural understandings and helping them navigate different types of understandings. What was most notable with me being able to help bring others to understand social and cultural dynamics was a fellow LC who at the beginning of the year wasn’t as aware of these dynamics that existed within society. Through different conversations, attending different events and following up, I was able to bring an awareness of systemic oppression and help another effectively understand and implement critical race theory and navigating multidimensionality when trying to have discussions of social activism and creating change. Through the navigation, we were able to come up with a presentation idea not only for Mason Leadership Conference, but ways to support one another as we challenge current cultures within our communities in the hopes of creating a more inclusive environment.