AROUND THE ABPsi
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!” […]
Pressure
Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action
By Dr. Thomas Parham I write on behalf of the national Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi), our President Dr. Donell Barnett, our Board of Directors, past presidents, and Council of Elders to strongly condemn and express profound disappointment and outrage at the latest Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action […]
Research Corner
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. […]
RECENT POSTS
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
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 […]
Breaking the Silence Around Suicide: Centering Black Youth’s Mental Wellness through Ubuntu
A Tragic Loss that Shattered a Myth Last summer, my family suffered the tragic loss of one of its youngest members. My niece died by suicide just over a month after her 16th birthday. Her untimely death has left many unanswered questions and unresolved grief. It has also been the […]
A Reflection on Bipolar from an Ancestral Psycho-Spiritual Perspective ft. Mama Ntozake Shange
The Western world historically has viewed intense emotional expressions as “lunacy”, where moon energy and emotions were portrayed as dangerously irrational, being out of touch with reality, and even evil.
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 […]
Reclaiming the African Spirit: Black Women, Joy, and Collective Wellness
Living within a society that denies their beauty, power, and existence, Black women can find that recognizing their own joy is an act of resistance. However, Black joy and the African spirit are survival practices perfected under slavery. Throughout generations, Black joy has persisted through both covert and overt acts […]
The Unmasking: From Performing Excellence to Healing Purpose
For nearly two decades, I approached my federal career through the lens of a survivor. I was a dedicated employee who was very skilled at “fitting in” every room where I was the only one who looked like me. I made conscious decisions to carefully choose how I spoke, how […]
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