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
The Harm of Western Psychology (2022)
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 […]
Research Corner
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. […]
RECENT POSTS
African American Mental Health: Mindful Ways to Manage Mental Health In the New Year
The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of laughter, love, and togetherness. Yet, for many African Americans, it can also be a season shadowed by unique stressors—including racial trauma, financial strain, and the emotional weight of systemic injustice (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2025). Scholars […]
An African-centered Education Remedy
Too often, American schools pour Eurocentric values into the minds of Black students through curricula, culture, and policies. Dr. Carter G. Woodson recognized the education system’s shortcomings in 1926 and created Negro History Week. One week of highlighting Black achievement evolved into Black History Month. Next month, we commemorate 100 […]
Re-envisioning Interdisciplinary Labs as Research Homes
As we think about our individual research houses, we must also consider how we can support each other. As interdisciplinary scholars, our work is reflective of the inclusion of many schools of thought. As practitioners, we should bridge that spirit of inclusion to our collaborations much like our opening song renders.
Black Surfers: A tribe for healing and liberation
Introduction This article will share some of the lessons learned from those who surf and teach surfing from a Black perspective and also identify what is beneficial for people to know about surfing. For many Black surfers in the USA, individual surfers from Hawaii, the East Coast and the […]
Lighting the Kinara Beyond the Season
December is a season rich with reflection across the African diaspora. It is a time when memory feels closer, when ancestors feel present, and when ritual helps us mark not only the end of a year, but the beginning of a new one—and the continuation of our people. While celebrations […]
Reclaiming Our Power Through African Principles
As I sit here at the close of 2025, wrapped in the energy of the winter solstice—that sacred moment when darkness yields to returning light—I find myself thinking about the challenges Black women have faced this year. Recent data shows our unemployment rate increased from 6.7% to 7.5% between August […]
Returning to Ourselves: African-Centered Traditions as Pathways to Healing, Resilience, and Joy During the Holidays
For many Black communities, the holiday season carries layered meanings. While often framed as a time of joy and togetherness, it can also heighten grief, stress, and emotional fatigue, particularly for those navigating systemic inequities that persist year-round. African-centered traditions, however, offer culturally rooted pathways to psychological healing and resilience. […]
Join The Conversation