Cultural Diversity Training
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department works with Mujahid Ramadan of M.R. Consulting, Inc. to train officers in diversity and cultural competency awareness.
Ramadan has more than two decades of experience in the field of consulting, social services, administration, and designs. He provides training, organizational development, and coaching in diversity and multi-cultural issues for individuals, groups, corporations, and government entities.
The training explores causes of bias, bigotry, racism, and prejudice. It identifies skills needed to provide the best public safety in a diverse workplace and community. The class explores ethnicity, cultures, religion, demographics, and growth to increase diversity awareness.
Diversity Awareness Training
In LVMPD's diversity class, definitions of diversity are connected to Metro's ICARE values: Integrity, Courage, Accountability, Respect for People, and Excellence. ICARE is the guiding principle for every employee and the values are supported by behaviors. The diversity class addresses the following things:
- Diversity and cultural awareness.
- Learning to face your reactions to that which is different than you. Those differences can lead to discomfort, feeling threatened and result in barriers that hamper progress.
- The concept that diversity is not about other people. It is about our reaction to others.
- Learning to understand the differences and similarities in people.
Assumptions and Bias
In the absence of information, we fill in the blanks and make assumptions. Think about any given day. How many assumptions do you make? There is nothing wrong with making assumptions. We could not efficiently live without them. However, our assumptions are based on our biases, and we all have biases. We know from research that we are not color-blind, and sometimes what you see is not what you get.
First Thoughts
The first thoughts we have about something help us recognize some of the underlying unconscious assumptions and biases we have. The critical thing is to be aware of your biases. And for the academy recruits, police officers, and correction officers, when face-to-face, they have to ensure their biases does not compromise the ICARE values.
Stereotypes
The word comes from the process of making metal plates for printing and means a "set image."
- If we are unaware of the stereotypes, we have no opportunity to explore whether we really believe the stereotype.
- Diversity is the opposite of using stereotypes.
- Stereotype comes from our assumptions, which come from our culture.
- Stereotypes can lead to distance, avoidance, or exclusion.
What is Prejudice?
The word prejudice comes from the word, "pre-judge."
Stereotypes can lead to distance, avoidance, or exclusion. If we act on our stereotypes by degrading others through language, slurs, or insulting jokes, we are exhibiting the attitudes of prejudice. If nobody challenges your verbal expression of prejudice, it can move into discrimination
What is Culture?
We know culture to be a shared system of beliefs, expectations, and meanings of a social unit that influence and guides the thinking and behavior of the members of that unit. Culture has a very powerful influence on our behavior and thinking.
Culture is composed of some main categories: basic assumptions, values and philosophy, and artifacts. The most observable category of culture is behaviors and actions. It is easy and human to make comparisons between people from different cultures. The problem is not the comparison, it is the tendency to judge other cultural norms in a less favorable light.
Major Cultures
- African Americans (Black American)
- Arabs/Muslims
- Asian
- Caucasian (White American)
- Gay/Lesbian/Transgender
- Hispanic/Latino/Latinx
English is Hard
Each of us have probably encountered someone where English is limited or where English is not their first language.
Tools to Use
A variety of tools to help Officers continue their journey towards diversity awareness. The objective is to transfer learning from the classroom to work.