I woke up this morning (November 2–Election Day!) to the news that Thema Bryant, PhD, was elected as APA president-elect. Bryant was one of the candidates that our Division Executive Board endorsed for APA president.
In fact, we endorsed all of the candidates, as each one would clearly have been a friend to our division and would listen to our concerns and issues. The executive board voted, in a close vote, to rank our top recommendations for the APA president candidates. However, the vote to rank our recommendations by the executive board, and the deliberations leading up to that vote, were challenging as we felt pulled in several directions. We were torn between our wanting to push forward with efforts to change our professional organization and the need to shore up and protect our significant gains and progress already achieved. We all wanted to nurture and strengthen our voice in APA, yes, but we were challenged by how to live into a future not yet here. I know that some found the discussion and decision by the executive board problematic, because of the importance of racial justice to the situation and to our own identity as a division. I know that a few people were hurt or lost a little hope for change. I know that others felt an internal struggle that was marked by sadness.
Matters of racial justice in APA are key to our deliberations and discussions within Div. 44. Just a few days before, on October 29, the APA Council of Representatives passed three historic measures addressing racial justice:
- Apology to People of Color for the Role of the American Psychological Association in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenging Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in the U.S.
- Resolution on the Role of Psychology and The American Psychological Association in Dismantling Systemic Racism Against People of Color in the U.S.
- Resolution on Advancing Health Equity in Psychology
Our division’s three council representatives were energetically involved in all these matters about the future of our professional organization. I am grateful for their service.
We have much to do, and we also need to acknowledge the impact of our votes and decisions. Sometimes, as an organization, we have a tendency to move on quickly to the next agenda item or challenge, not taking time to acknowledge the impact of our decisions. And we recognize that our progress to make our division a home for all is uneven, sometimes rocky, and sometimes insufficient for the current situation. But I am encouraged, supported and grateful for the steps forward, and especially for those who remain engaged in the effort to make things better.