June 9, 2026

AROUND THE ABPsi

Intentional Illumination

Intentional Illumination

Intentional individuals and institutions committed to African-centered education play a crucial role in building self-love among Black/African students. When I taught the African-Brazilian martial art of capoeira at an African-centered social justice school in Chicago, the students repeated, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me! Harambee, harambee, harambee!” […]

Research Corner

Black Matrescence and Maternal Suicide: Breaking the Silence for Black Mothers

Black Matrescence and Maternal Suicide: Breaking the Silence for Black Mothers

Black Matrescence and Maternal Suicide: Breaking the Silence for Black Mothers Brianna A. Baker, PhD, Postdoctoral Counseling Psychologist, CUNY School of Public Health Koree Badio, MS, Counseling Psychology Doctoral Student, University of Florida In September 2025, 31-year-old Drake Patton and her two young children were found dead in Lake Michigan. […]

RECENT POSTS

Being Spirit- Part 3

Being Spirit- Part 3

In Part I of “Being Spirit,” we introduced various notions of spirit and established the framework for the subsequent sections of this article. Part II focused on melanin as an energetic medium through which the spirit expresses itself. In this third and final edition of “Being Spirit,” we will examine […]

An Ubuntu Power Base

An Ubuntu Power Base

The South African Zulu philosophy of Ubuntu emphasizes collective thoughts and actions. Ubuntu happens when “I am, because we are” is transformed from a phrase into a therapeutic way of living. When we consider recent tragedies in Virginia and Louisiana, alongside the health disparities impacting Black/African people, the call for […]

Spirituality as a Foundation of Healing and Wellness in Black Women’s Lives

Spirituality as a Foundation of Healing and Wellness in Black Women’s Lives

In the United States, Black women have addressed different intersecting forms of oppression such as racial and gender issues and they have an enormous role in the outcome of mental and physical health disparities such as elevated cortisol levels, chronic illness, emotional disorders, and social problems. Spirituality has always been […]

Trauma Bonds, Liberation, and the Black Female Nervous System

Trauma Bonds, Liberation, and the Black Female Nervous System

An African-Centered Framework for Healing and Family Restoration The relational experiences of Black women cannot be understood outside of the historical, neurobiological, and structural forces that have shaped the Black family across generations. Trauma bonding, relational instability, and attachment disruption within Black relationships are often interpreted through individualistic or pathologizing […]