The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. With approximately 13,000 members, ASA encompasses sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students. About 20 percent of the members work in government, business, or non-profit organizations. Click on search and type in culture. Numerous sociological resources are referenced and linked.
Anthropologists study past, present, and the predicted future cultures from all over the world. At this website the AAA informs and links you to the study of cultures. “Though easy to define, anthropology is difficult to describe. Anthropologists may study ancient Mayan hieroglyphics, the music of African Pygmies, and the corporate culture of a U.S. car manufacturer. But always, the common goal links these vastly different projects: to advance knowledge of who we are, how we came to be that way--and where we may go in the future.”
Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance supports the efforts of K-12 teachers and other educators to promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity. Teaching Tolerance serves as a clearinghouse of information about anti-bias programs and activities being implemented in schools across the country.
The National MultiCultural Institute (NMCI) is a private, non-profit organization. It is funded through fees for service, contracts, foundation grants, and corporate and individual contributions. NMCI's mission is to work with individuals, organizations, and communities in creating a society that is strengthened and empowered by its diversity. Through its initiatives, NMCI leads efforts to increase communication, understanding and respect among people of diverse backgrounds and addresses some of the important issues of multiculturalism facing our society.
The Office of Minority Health was created in 1986 and is administered under the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The OMH is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs which help to decrease health disparities. OMH was reauthorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
In 1997, the OMH undertook the development of national standards to provide a much needed alternative to the patchwork that has been undertaken in the field of cultural diversity. It developed the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) for the health care field. The 14 standards are based on a review of key laws, regulations, contracts, and standards currently in use by federal and state agencies and other national organizations.
The National Center for Cultural Competence provides national leadership and contributes to the body of knowledge on cultural and linguistic competency within systems and organizations. Major emphasis is placed on translating evidence into policy and practice for programs and personnel concerned with health and mental health care delivery, administration, education and advocacy. The NCCC is a component of the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD) and is housed within the Department of Pediatrics of the Georgetown University Medical Center.
This site from Cornell University contains articles, checklists, a glossary, and links to useful disability resources to help Human Resource (HR) professionals stay in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).