You are visiting an archived issue

Psych Discourse: FALL 2018

Return to Archived Issue

50th Anniversary of the Michigan/Detroit Chapter: An Historical Narrative

Written by Psych Discourse

By Amorie Robinson, Ph.D.

In memory of Michelle Dunnell

Our new President, Dr. Mama Huberta Jackson-Lowman stated that she would like to hear more about our local chapters and what they are doing. The timing could not have been better. We here in Detroit are excited and thrilled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Michigan chapter this coming April.

I am writing this as a member and former president of the Metro Detroit ABPsi, as well as an archivist/historian for our chapter who happens to organically have some familiarity with the origins of the Michigan chapter. This chapter’s place in the history of ABPsi is well worth highlighting during our national’s 50th anniversary issue of Psych Discourse. It starts off with pioneers such as my own mother, Dr. Jane Robinson, who was a co-founder of the Michigan chapter which began in April of 1968. I have heard her story countless times, and at the age of 86 (she is now 87), I interviewed her on videotape while her mind was still clear and sharp. With much pride in ABPsi’s history, I write this to ensure that our entire organization becomes more acquainted with its rich vibrant history/herstory from its beginnings.

Some Historical Facts About the Michigan Chapter

In addition to archival sources that I have in my possession, the following summary of information was shared to me by Dr. Jane Robinson and Dr. Willie Scott, both former presidents of the Michigan chapter who are still around. I am grateful to the ancestors including Dr. Paris Finner-Williams, a national Elder of ABPsi, who was a part of this history and was instrumental in reviving the Metro Detroit chapter in 2010. She expressed her passion and desire to keep the Michigan energy alive. Her widower, Mr. Robert Williams, has generously recalled events given his involvement over the years. To briefly synopsize, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King was the catalyst that drove a group of 10 Michigan Black psychologists to actually formalize their impromptu monthly discussion groups. Two years prior, this small group of dedicated psychologists would meet up at a watering hole in Detroit near Wayne State University, called Mr. Mike’s. Over lunch and cocktails, they discussed job opportunities, surviving Ph.D. programs, the systemic racism in the courts, psychiatric hospitals, and in schools. Of great concern was special education placements of so many Black youth based on culturally biased tests. It so happened that on the day before their scheduled April meeting, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. All over the nation the restaurants and businesses were closing down for fear of riots. Their waiter told them they must leave. But before leaving, the group pledged to “do something” to address their concerns. The first official meeting of the “Michigan Association of Black Psychologists” was held the next month at the home of Dr. Jane Robinson who served as the first Secretary and later as chapter President. Black psychologists from Lansing, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and other areas quickly mobilized themselves. Meeting on a monthly basis, they created officers and organizational structure. Some of the officers, including Dr. Robinson, attended the American Psychological Association convention in Washington, D.C. that August of 1968.

This is when this group of pioneers merged with the national ABPsi group that was forming, after a group of Black graduate psychology students from across the country, shut down the proceedings of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Robinson recalled University of Michigan students such as Halford Fairchild and James Jackson, stormed onto the stage, took over the convention, and demanded that APA “do something” to address their non-inclusive and racist practices. A ten-point plan was offered and APA accepted. Fairchild, Jackson, and other students from University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University, took the lead in the Michigan chapter for years to come, and many became national officers.

Being the chapter’s first Secretary, Dr. Robinson maintained a number of documents from the 60s, 70s, and 80s including their official newsletter and logo. She entrusted me with these artifacts and I have had the chance of looking through them. I was most impressed with what can be accomplished without the convenience of a computer! The Michigan chapter’s meetings were well-attended, well-organized, and perpetually active. I recall as a child a group of grown-ups in our family living room just about every month, not knowing what was going on and enjoying the leftover cookies on the table! I found out that they were organizing mental health seminars and mini-conferences. These workshops provided a space for Black psychologists and other Black professionals to present their research findings and clinical practices, receive input from the Black community, and review, evaluate, and recommend policies that would enhance the well-being of local and statewide Black communities. They even connected with a state government official to demand that psychologists receive Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance for treatment services. The activism of these earlier Black psychologists in Michigan was powerful and inspiring.

I discovered that Michigan hosted the 1973 sixth annual national ABPsi convention at the Statler-Hilton Hotel. Dr. Robinson also remembered that the Michigan ABPsi officers at the time of this national convention were: Dr. Reginald Wilson, President; Dr. Floyd Wylie, Past President; Dr. Maurice White, Vice President & Treasurer; and Shirley Vaughn, M.S., Secretary. Dr. James Jackson of University of Michigan was President of ABPsi at that time and Dr. Thomas Hillard from Michigan State University in Lansing was President-Elect. Dr. Halford Fairchild as served as President in 1986, she recalls.

Fast Forward---Some Historical Facts About the Metro Detroit Chapter

As the 90s approached, the Michigan chapter, although very strong throughout the decades, became inactive, leaving a huge void for several years. I was working on my doctorate at the University of Michigan and was serving as Secretary of the Black Student Psychological Association (BSPA) when I thought about attending my first ABPsi national convention. However, for personal reasons, I chose not to attend or get involved. Nevertheless, in 1996, Dr. Robinson, Dr. Paris Finner-Williams, and other elders in the Black psychology Detroit community, held a meeting and reception at the Fisher Building at the office of Dr. Robinson. Approximately 60 people attended, of which a core group formed to establish the “Metro Detroit ABPsi” which currently exists today. Presidents have been Dr. Annita Sani, Dr., Dr. Sheila Williams-White, Angela May, Dr. Amorie Robinson, and current President Dr. Mishelle Rodriguez. Our chapter is thankful to Dr. Benson Cooke for inviting us to send archival documents and video footage of interviews for inclusion in the national ABPsi records. Dr. Cooke met my mom in 2014 at the Atlanta midyear meeting where Dr. Theopia Jackson took a moment of time to bestow honor to her. Dr. Cooke encouraged me to send him archival documents and photos, and I have entrusted him with caring for them.

The Metro Detroit ABPsi chapter is happy, grateful, and humbled to share the same year of our anniversary as the national. Given this momentus occasion, we are planning a special event to bring together retirees, elders, and pioneers who are still in the area, in addition to current psychologists and their guests. We invite you to join us for this celebration of service and activism and to also consider researching your own chapter’s history and legacy. Search for the co-founders in your area, interview them, and offer them an update of your events and programming. And of course, plan a celebration at your anniversary dates. Be inspired by that history and become more involved with your chapter. Contact Dr. Benson Cooke who can provide some technical support. And of course, stay in touch with the national board who are available to assist. Happy anniversary ABPsi!