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President's Message
- Posted August 12, 2007
- Dorothy Holmes, Ph.D.
ABPsi National President 2007/2009
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First and foremost, I like to thank those who attended our 39th Annual and International Convention that was held in Houston, Texas. The convention was a success for ABPsi, and I hope you were pleased. For those who could not attend the convention, my presidential address was, “Securing the Future of ABPsi: Improving Its Infrastructure.” I identified three major goals I thought were critical for The Association of Black Psychologists to move forward. These goals were:
(1) Secure ABPsi’s history and documentation,
(2) Increase membership by 15-20%, and
(3) Develop a national disaster program.
I also thought it was imperative this administration focus on restoring the PsychDiscourse as the mouthpiece of ABPsi, and support for the Licensure Certification and Proficiency in Black Psychology (LCPP) and The Association of Black Psychologists Foundation (formed in 2006).
In order to meet this first goal, we must have a place to call our own. It is imperative that we begin to take some real and meaningful steps toward securing our own building or office space. Of course this means staffing the office and meeting other obligations that will have their own challenges. However, independent of having our own office, all manuals pertaining to the Board and National Committees must be updated or developed. To help with this process, I am proposing we electronically secure all ABPsi documentation. To facilitate this task, I am proposing that we create a National Information and Technology Committee (IT) with the general responsibility of organizing and preserving our data. An IT committee, in addition to preserving the ABPsi history, will help us to operate more efficiently.
The second goal is to increase ABPsi membership by 15-20%. To help meet this goal, I propose incentives are created for Regional Representatives who significantly increase the membership in their respective region. This incentive could be in the form of an increased reduction in convention registration fees or increased reimbursement for Board travel. As membership grows, life will be injected into the development of our chapters.
To promote chapter development, I propose monetary incentives are created for chapters that host the convention. To take advantage of this incentive, the chapter must be legal. A legal chapter is one that is registered with its state to do business. That is, it has filed its articles of incorporation that include bylaws, chapter name, and officers. Second, the chapter must have paid its affiliation fee of 100 dollars to the national office. I also encourage each chapter to apply for its 501c3 status. One of the advantages of being a 501c3 organization is that the chapter can receive tax deductible donations.
It is clear that healing needs to take place among members, including students. To increase student membership and participation, I propose the Student Circle takes charge of the Friday Awards Luncheon and it be renamed the Student Circle and Awards Luncheon. Not only will this give our students the opportunity to showcase their talent and creativity, but it will serve as a learning venue to better prepare them to take the leadership of ABPsi. Another means to help our youth grow and prepare them for leadership is to have a student represented on each ABPsi National Committee.
The third goal - is to broaden the work and effort of the Katrina relief program by formalizing a National Disaster Program. The effort ABPsi has put forth around the Katrina victims should not be minimized and should continue. However, ABPsi should be the kind of organization that can help others and its own. To this end, I propose we create an ABPsi Membership Assistance Program that will help members who experience hardship as a result of a disaster. Members who are disaster victims would be given assistance to attend the convention or have their membership fee waived or reduced. Therefore, as a student or professional member of ABPsi, if faced with a disaster, one can be assured that they will be able to participate in the convention and/or remain part of the ABPsi family.
Implicit in our mission statement is to teach others about us. One of the fallouts from the Katrina relief was the lack of training and ill-preparedness by the American Red Cross to work with people of color of such magnitude. I propose we develop a relationship with the national Red Cross and local Red Cross chapters to provide appropriate culturally sensitive mental health service for people of color who are disaster victims. Because we are the experts in treating our own it stands to reason ABPsi be the organization others call and count on.
And while much energy is devoted to national and natural disasters, we need to address another form of disaster that too often shows up in our schools. Again, often time when our inner city schools are plagued with violence, our Black children tend to be ignored and not validated in terms of how they are affected. To this end, I propose we develop a relationship with the National Education Association and create an Adopt-a-School program in our local communities. This program would encourage local ABPsi Chapters to develop a relationship with school boards and principals to provide support to children, families and school officials when school violence takes place. This support could be, but not limited to, prevention, intervention, workshops, and consultations.
Other areas of attention include restoring the PsychDiscourse's utility and make it the mouthpiece of the organization it once was. We need to see the work of the Board, Regional Representatives, Student Circle, and National Committees represented in the PsychDiscourse. For example, the work of the Licensure, Certification, and Proficiency in Black Psychology (LCPP) Committee is far too important to be kept out of the PsychDiscourse.
I also would like to express the need for this administration and members to support the LCPP program. The LCPP is one of ABPsi’s latest programs designed to prepare psychologists to work with Black children and families. I mentioned earlier the need for our children who are exposed to school violence to receive support. However, the reality is that psychologists who are not culturally trained are more likely the ones who will work with our children and families. Therefore, being licensed and proficient in Black psychology will allow psychologists to provide appropriate care and treatment for Black children and families.
For those who do not know, The Association of Black Psychologists Foundation was formed in 2006. The purpose of the Foundation is to raise funds for scholarships, research, and other endeavors that promote the mission and vision of The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). Therefore, it is imperative we support the ABPsi Foundation.
While these goals are deceptively simple, much time and energy must be expended to make them become a reality. Meeting these goals will help solidify ABPPsi’s infrastructure. If you ever had the opportunity to read the ABPsi Strategic Plan you will see these goals are consistent with what Dr. Harriet Richard and Dr. Kobi Kambon put together a few years ago.
I think it is imperative that improving the infrastructure of ABPsi be the explicit goal for future presidents. For without the infrastructure our efforts are inefficient and we expend needless energy working hard and not smart. As such, Board members, General Assembly, Committee Chairs, and members, we have a great deal of work ahead of us in improving ABPsi’s infrastructure. I look forward to the next two years in working with the membership.
Thank you. ABPsi until I die!
