Black History Month: African American Psychologists
During the month of February, the United States of America celebrates Black History Month. This month of celebration was established to appreciate and acknowledge “the countless Black men and women who contributed to the advancement of human civilization,” as explained by the Association for the study of African American Life and History. The purpose of this blog is to be aware of and celebrate African American Psychologists who have contributed to improving the mental health field.
Dr. Herman George Canady was a social psychologist born in 1901 who lived until 1970. Dr. Canady wrote the famous article “The Effect of ‘Rapport’ on the I.Q.: A New Approach to the Problem of Racial Psychology,” and was the first psychologist to research how race impacts examiner bias factors in IQ testing. Dr. Ruth Winifred Howard Beckham is nicknamed “the feminist psychologist,” and was one of the first African American women to obtain a PhD in Psychology. Dr. Beckham was an active member of the American Psychological Association, the International Council of Women Psychologists, the American Association of University Women, and much more. She lived between the years 1900-1997 and is still remembered today for her advancements in the mental health field.
Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark became the first Black woman to receive a PhD from Columbia University in 1943. Dr. Clark’s thesis is considered historic and was used to make racial segregation unconstitutional in American public schools. Following her thesis, Dr. Clark opened The Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, NY in 1946. Dr. Joseph L. White is considered the “Father of Black Psychology,” due to him exposing implicit whiteness in the field of psychology. With this knowledge, Dr. White published the article “Toward a Black Psychology,” here he confronted the APA on its history of defining the Black community as “ignorant, deviant, and lacking in intelligence.” In 1968, Dr. White helped establish the Association of Black Psychologists as well as the first Black Studies program during the strike at San Francisco State University.
Dr. Joy DeGruy is the author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of her own publication company. Dr. DeGruy’s work focuses on the intersection between American chattel slavery, violence, racism, and trauma. Dr. Kenneth Clark, husband to Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark, was the first African American man to obtain a doctoral degree from Columbia University. Additionally, Dr. Clark was the first African-American President of the APA and the first African American assigned to the New York State Board of Regents.
Source: California Institute of Integral Studies