“There comes a point when we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in,” Samuel Paunetto, the health and wellness coordinator for the International Rescue Committee, said.

Paunetto quoted Desmond Tutu, a South African bishop who was known for his human rights work and opposition to apartheid, which was a system of institutionalized racial segregation in Africa. Tutu’s quote reflects the culture competence and humility training’s title: “Upstream.” The training was meant for health care practitioners and was hosted by the Wichita State School of Social Work and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Sept. 7.

Paunetto, the key speaker at the cultural competence and humility training, is a social worker known for his work with underrepresented communities in Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised, and for his work with the IRC. Tutu’s quote also encompasses Paunetto’s main idea, which is that the root cause of racism and the lack of resources for refugees must be addressed.

The conference’s other objectives were to identify myths and biases within individuals that reflect systemic racism and for health care practitioners to inform themselves on how these ideals reflect their practices. 

“A lot of people think that for cultural competency to happen, and humility and anti-racism, you don’t need to have any type of advanced history lens, and that is a lie,” Paunetto said. 

Paunetto emphasized that an advanced understanding of history is necessary for anti-oppressive practices. He shared a questionnaire on a screen in the front of the room, asking participants to explain why this is so essential. Many replied that we must understand history to not repeat it.

Paunetto said that most of the history taught focuses on Northern European immigrants, the British Empire, and Greek, Roman, and Judeo-Christian tradition without educating on other important cultures. He encourages students to view current understandings through a critical lens to examine our culture and biases.

The next WSU conference for social workers will be the Ethics Pre-Conference on Jan. 5, 2024, followed by the 21st Annual POWER Conference on March 1.