Your Cultural Identity is a hidden Treasure

Under the pressure of protest and chaos, I calmly provided healthcare to a white police officer just shot by an African American suspect. I remained an astute professional when called a Jamaican b**ch while nursing an angry patient back to good health. And,I grew a friendship with the person who advised me that my race and accent were a determinant to a job opportunity.  

Daily we see, hear and witness the sting and consequences when stereotypes and preconceived notions of others swell within us creating impulsive behaviors and unbearable grief for ourselves and others. While we struggle to process our secret misconceptions, conversations are the only real solution to maximizing our collective potential.

As a healthcare professional and former university professor, I have navigated cultural changes and challenges for over 23 years. Today my passion is teaching cultural awareness and diversity and inclusion—maximizing team performances, increasing retention, and improving internal and external customer relations.

An immigrant from the cornfields of Cameroon, I first learned the value of becoming culturally mindful and socially proficient while attending the French-speaking University of Yaoundé. At age 21, I  failed. I didn’t graduate from the university because I refused to step out of my comfort zone and learn a different language. I knew since age 12 that I needed to shift and change to become an accomplished student, yet, the thought of changing seemed to be someone else’s responsibility—they needed to change.

To help me get on track, my parents sold a portion of their land to send me to Canada for dental school. I mastered dental therapy but still failed at building my cultural responsiveness. I landed a job I loved and traveled and met different people. It was a great place, except there were too many visible differences and seemingly few internal similarities.

Refusing to open up and embrace the culture and the people and allowing them to embrace me, I resorted to loneliness and left Canada disheartened and disconnected. The Washington, DC area was my next stop. Surely, I’d love it there. I’d meet people “like” me. Yet, it was there I discovered this: “I wasn’t looking for people like me. I was looking for a place I could call home.” A place where I could embrace the people, culture, and values regardless of any differences. Delaware became home. 

It wasn’t long after my transformation that being culturally aware and sensitive was tested. While talking to a stranger about applying for a job at a hospital I was told, “I wouldn’t bother applying there, they are racist and won’t offer you a position. Plus, you’re an immigrant with a heavy accent and a black woman.” The valuable lessons learned on my journey to Delaware gave me a different perspective and response. The hospital couldn’t possibly assume a person wasn't qualified because of their ethnic background or gender, could they? I owed it to myself to find out.

The organization loved me, and I loved the organization. Together, for 15 years we learned the value of patient and internal customer satisfaction through cultural awareness. The organization even gave me the opportunity to further my education and paid for me to earn my bachelor's and master’s degrees. And most importantly, I discovered what I desired most—my new family.

The power of this and other experiences is what drives my passion:  engaging audiences in the workplace and around the world in conversations about diversity, cultural differences, and how to use them to improve organizational performances. It is clear: when we maximize diverse human capital by becoming culturally aware and accepting our differences, we gain an industry advantage and shape global change. 

So know that you are unique and there is more in you. Be proud of your cultural identity. In spite of the challenges that life will throw at you, hold on to your purpose, be patient, be passionate about what you do, persevere, and be persistent. God will open your door at the predestined time. Quitting is not an option!