From Teen Vogue, Oct. 25, 2017. See also the companion article linked below.
Quick tips:
"Cultural competence is the ability to shift cultural perspective and adapt one’s behavior to cultural similarities and differences. Simply put, it means recognizing that you have a culture and that this culture impacts your worldview. After this realization, you must learn to see events from the perspective of those that are different than you."
- Source: Cultural Competency: Why It Matters, DeEtta Jones & Associates
This page includes selected readings for learning more about cultural competence issues. Let us know if you have suggestions for additional resources!
Here are just a few selected titles on cultural competence. You can find many more on specific topics using Quick Search and of course Google.
50 Activities for Achieving Cultural Competence by
Suitable for training activities related to employee empowerment, this title includes 50 training activities and self-development exercises to prepare your personnel for international assignments and develop better understanding of cross-cultural communication. It is also suitable for preparing foreign nationals to work in the United States.
Building Cultural Competence by
For HR directors, corporate trainers, college administrators, diversity trainers and study abroad educators, this book provides a cutting-edge framework and an innovative collection of ready-to-use tools and activities to help build cultural competence--from the basics of understanding core concepts of culture to the complex work of negotiating identity and resolving cultural differences. Building Cultural Competencepresents the latest work in the intercultural field and provides step-by-step instructions for how to effectively work with the new models, frameworks, and exercises for building learners' cultural competence. Featuring fresh activities and tools from experienced coaches, trainers, and facilitators from around the globe, this collection of over 50 easy-to-use activities and models has been used successfully worldwide in settings that range from Fortune 500 corporations to the World Bank, non-profits, and universities. Learn updates on classic models like the DIE (Description, Interpretation, Evaluation) framework and the U-Curve model of adjustment. Engage in new exercises to help build intercultural competence, using the practical step-by-step guidance on how to effectively facilitate these activities. Stay relevant and have positive impact with clients, organizations, and students with these well-organized, easy-to-implement, and high impact collection of frameworks, models, and activities. The new, research-based models work for developing cultural competence in any environment, and for designing effective cultural competence courses. Education abroad administrators will be able to use these activities in their pre- departure orientations for students going abroad. Corporate human resource professionals will find these activities invaluable in cultural competence building programs.
Developing Critical Cultural Competence by
This book is designed for professional development staff, teacher educators, lead teachers, administrators, and other school leaders who want to engage teachers in developing their critical cultural competence. Due to the increasingly diverse nature of todayÆs schools, and imperative to increase the achievement of all students, no matter their background, there is great need for 21st century teachers to develop critical cultural competence. This is done best through on-going professional development for both new and experienced teachers because it requires much more than just knowing about the diverse nature of todayÆs students. While culturally competent teachers can reflect on their own practices, and seek knowledge about their students, families and communities, teachers with critical cultural competence have to become more self-analytical in their reflections, innovative in their actions, and collaborative in helping to transform their schoolsÆ culture. Therefore, this book offers numerous activities to engage teachers in the exploration of themselves as a cultural beings and innovative ways to learn more about the diversity of todayÆs students from their families and communities. The book is organized around professional development activities that focus on the three inseparable aspects required for developing teachersÆ critical cultural competency: understanding of self; understanding of students; and understanding of families and communities. The book concludes with recommendations for how to plan and fund professional development for building teachersÆ critical cultural competence in order to reach the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by 
Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by 
So You Want to Talk about Race by 