By: Joniesha Hickson and Evan Auguste
For generations, African-descendant peoples have been forced to reckon with global delusions of our innate inferiority. Whether considered through the lens of a psychopathic racial personality, a suboptimal worldview, or an afro pessimism, our scholars have made it clear that the ideas responsible for our oppression are tied to the ideas that are destroying our world. They have also made it clear that the path forward requires revolutionary shifts in consciousness.
As healers, seekers of Sakhu, and Black psychologists, there is a real urgency in contending with this history of harm, based on racist imperialism, to struggle with our communities towards Kujichagulia (Black Self Determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), and Zola (love).
When the American Psychological Association (APA) released its apology, after decades of anti-racist advocating from inside and outside the organization, it did not contain the urgency that our current moment required. Further, the process demonstrated the type of Eurocentric hegemony that had been characteristic of the organization, even as those from within tried to shift it.
When the early drafts of the APA’s apology were sent out for review, APA leaders demanded ABPsi’s feedback on their terms. Although ABPsi leaders refused this process, several dual APA/ABPsi members provided feedback claiming to represent ABPsi, undermining ABPsi’s procedures.
In response, Dr. Wade Nobles, alongside Drs. Daryl Rowe and Lawford Goddard drafted and disseminated the “Declining to Comment” on August 31, 2021. Within this document, ABPsi, harnessing the legacy and language of Frederick Douglass, accused the APA of reflecting:
“an unholy license; swelling vanity, brass impudence; hollow mockery; bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy as a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.”
This article sparked additional conversation on the flawed nature of the APA apology, specifically referring to psychology’s role in the destabilization of Black political movements and the support of U.S. imperialism. Soon after, on November 24, 2021, ABPsi released the entirety of their statement entitled “The APA Apology: Unacceptable.” From the classroom to the community, African/ Black healers mobilized to continue the conversation.
Members of the Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. hosted classroom lectures on the roles of mental health providers in Black liberation. Notorious civil rights organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) underscored The APA Apology: Unacceptable statement as a pathway to community-sustained efforts to reclaim our history. At our 2022 Mid-Year Meeting, we hosted numerous African/ Black thought leaders, social justice activists, scholars, politicians, and congressmen, among others to discuss efficient civic and political engagement to the advantage of our communities.
Towards the second goal, committee members have played key roles in the global growth of ABPsi. Indeed, Shawn Utsey secured support for his documentary “Miles to go Before I Sleep”, an incisive look into the insidious legacy of the Central State Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane. Sharon Bethea, Adeeba Deterville, and Derek Wilson continue to develop and expand the infrastructure of ABPsi’s credentialing program, which will serve as a distinct recognition of healers whose commitments are aligned with the thriving of Black communities. Joniesha Hickson and Linda James Myers continued to lead ABPsi’s media initiatives, with a focus on ABPsi’s longest-running program “Creating Zola Mondays.” Evan Auguste continued to co-chair the Sawubona Healing Circle committee and co-led the delivery of the circles to African refugees from Ukraine, and Haitian victims of kidnapping, Black New Yorkers reeling from the massacre in Buffalo.
The SIG continues to work towards supporting the mission of ABPsi. On the horizon, the SIG is developing several policy proposals designed to remove the APA’s monopoly of the Minority Fellowship Program funds, restructure state licensing procedures, and make accessible, community-centered care for Black people available throughout the world. In the meantime, the APA will soon publish its action plan based on its initial apology. While some have urged patience as they do their work, we would draw on James Baldwin in response:
“You want me to make an act of faith risking myself, my wife, my women, my sisters, my children on some idealism which you ensure me exists in America which I have never seen.”
Rather than blind faith, ABPsi will continue to be guided by communities and organizations birthed in service to our collective liberation.
