AROUND THE ABPsi
Tribute to the Life of Aubrey Spencer Escoffery, Ph.D.
A Founder of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), Celebrating his life journey—April 10, 1923—January 5, 1923 By Dr. Benson G. Cooke, ABPsi Historian Remember the wisdom of your ancestors in order to become wise.—African Proverb Background. Born April 10, 1923, in New Haven, Connecticut to his mother, Flora Jefferson […]
Pressure
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 […]
Research Corner
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
When Survival Looks Like Smiling: Black Women, Autism, and the Cost of Layered Masking
There are many ways to disappear without ever leaving the room. Sometimes it looks like smiling when your nervous system is overwhelmed. Sometimes it looks like rehearsing every conversation before it happens or replaying every interaction after it ends. It can sound like saying, “I’m fine,” because explaining what is […]
You are Deserving of Your Own Compassion (Neff, 2003)
You are someone worth celebrating! The ancient Kemetic principle of Hetep speaks to a state of peace, harmony, balance, and spiritual wholeness. (Bynum, 1999; Fu-Kiau, 2001) Hetep is not simply the absence of conflict. It is inner alignment. Many people spend years chasing external peace while remaining internally divided. (Bynum, […]
Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark: Disability Advocate
As the Ethics Co-Chair of the New York Association for School Psychologists, I recently wrote an article entitled “Special Education Practices: Past and Present.” During my research, I discovered some very interesting facts about a case that Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark was involved with in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. […]
Disability Pride and Collective Justice
Black people with disabilities are capable of mental, physical, and spiritual feats. Although multiple sclerosis put Brad Lomax in a wheelchair, he joined the Black Panther Party and founded the Center for Independent Living. Lois Curtis, an artist and activist with schizophrenia, protested segregated housing practices and won a landmark […]
Seen, Strong, and Still Rising: Black Disability, Public Policy, and the Psychology of Resilience
A Disability Pride Month Commentary on Intersectionality, Mental Health, and Collective Liberation Abstract: Disability Pride Month provides a chance to honor resilience, leadership, and lived experiences of people with disabilities while confronting systemic injustices. For Black Americans with disabilities, disability cannot be understood apart from race, history, and public policy. […]
May’s Manifesting Student Success
May is the month when we celebrate graduates across the educational spectrum. From kindergarten to graduate school, students will finish curricula and start their next educational journeys. For Black/African students in higher education, graduation can mean much more than earning a degree or certificate. Convocation represents the accumulation of struggles […]
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 […]
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