Foundational contributions of Black scholars in psychology.

What is it about?

This article introduces a special issue dedicated to honoring and celebrating the innovative and foundational contributions of Black psychologists who study and conduct research on race, ethnicity, culture, and racism that center the experiences of people of African descent. The works of these Black scholars either incorporate a strengths-based approach to understanding the lived experiences of Black people and/or provide a critical analysis of race, racism, ethnicity, or culture to understand people or society. Articles in this special issue are organized across five integrative and overlapping themes: (a) Black scholars who have written on topics related to race, racism, and racial identity; (b) schools of thought that embody decolonial, liberation, and African psychologies and the scholars writing within these traditions; (c) scholars who have created new theories and approaches to conceptualizing the mental health of Black children, youth, and families; (d) Black scholars adopting an intersectional lens to research and practice; and (e) Black scholars who created spaces within existing organizations to theorize about and research the experiences of people of African descent.

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Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Historically, the contributions of Black scholars to psychology have been erased or marginalized within mainstream, U.S. centered psychology. This special issue intervenes on anti-Black racism at the epistemic level by pushing back against the invisibility, under-recognition, and underrepresentation of Black scholarship in psychology. By curating and reviewing the innovative and foundational contributions of Black scholars, we hope that psychology departments and researchers will re-envision their work to be more inclusive of research by Black psychologists and incorporate readings in their curriculum and syllabi for students that embrace anti-racist ideals and are fundamental to their training.