“Beyond Performative Justice: The Unwavering Mission of ABPsi”
By Sharon L. Bethea, Ph.D.
President, The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi)
Odo Nnyew Fie Kwan (“Love does not lose its way home.”)
Under Pressure, Psychology Accreditation Board Suspends Diversity Standards. “The APA Commission on Accreditation (CoA) voted on March 13, 2025, to immediately and temporarily suspend evaluation of programs for compliance with several specific accreditation standards. The suspended standards are those related to faculty and student program actions in the areas of diversity in recruitment, admission/selection, and/or retention efforts” (American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation, 2025).”
This decision carries deep implications. It arrives just four years after the APA’s 2021 formal apology for its longstanding role in supporting systemic racism in psychology. That apology acknowledged that the APA and the discipline of psychology have historically contributed to the oppression of racial and ethnic groups through the misuse of psychological science, discriminatory practices, and exclusionary policies. The APA documented its complicity in the pathologizing of African/Black people and other racial and ethnic groups, the advancement of harmful pseudoscientific theories that justified racial hierarchies, and the marginalization of diverse voices in psychological research and practice (American Psychological Association, 2021). However, the recent rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards by APA calls into question the sincerity of that apology. Rather than advancing the transformative change that justice demands, this action reveals a deeper resistance to systemic reform. It further reinforces the need for independent, African-centered psychological frameworks that affirm the humanity, dignity, and cultural knowledge systems of people of African ancestry.
The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi) named this contradiction clearly in 2021. ABPsi has consistently asserted that the APA’s 2021 apology was superficial and performative rather than transformative and ultimately insufficient in addressing the ongoing racial injustice embedded in Western psychological institutions (Association of Black Psychologists, 2021). The apology failed to rectify past harms and prevent continued racial injustice entrenched in Western psychological practice, education, and policy. Words, without a commitment to structural change, cannot redress/repair the generational damage done to African/Black communities by the APA and western psychological frameworks.
Rooted in Liberation: A Legacy of Self-Determination
In the colonized landscape of Western psychological science and practice, ABPsi remains a visionary institution committed to the liberation of African people globally. “The Association of Black Psychologists was founded in San Francisco in 1968 by a number of Black psychologists and students from across the country. ABPsi united to actively address the serious problems facing Black psychologists and the larger Black community. Guided by the principle of self-determination, these psychologists and students set about building an institution through which they could address the long-neglected needs of Black professionals. Their goal was to have a positive impact upon the well-being of the Black community by means of planning, programs, services, training, and advocacy” (Association of Black Psychologists, n.d.).
During a historical period marked by resistance and epistemological rupture, ABPsi emerged as a revolutionary counterforce to the pathologizing and racially biased narratives embedded in Western psychology. African/Black Psychology does not seek validation within Western paradigms; it offers models that affirm ancestors, community, family, personhood, cultural memory, and generational responsibility. The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. is not constrained by institutional trends or performative justice initiatives or predicated on the notion of DEI. ABPsi is not a peripheral or advocacy-only entity or about surveillance or assimilation; it exists to serve the well-being, spirit, mind, and body of people of African ancestry. Our mission has always been rooted in the liberation of African minds, the empowerment of African character, and the illumination and enlivenment of the African spirit (Association of Black Psychologists, n.d.).
True to this mission, ABPsi continues to translate theory into practice through research, education, and national/international initiatives. Unlike DEI frameworks, ABPsi is grounded in the ontological and epistemological foundations of the African worldview. We remain an institution rooted in sacred responsibility to our people. We lead with vision.
Translating Vision into Impact
ABPsi’s contributions to the field of psychology are extensive and ongoing. We are not only theorists, but practitioners and builders. Our programs reflect our commitment to intergenerational healing, justice, and cultural wholeness:
- Journal of Black Psychology (JBP): The leading academic journal devoted to the psychological study of Black populations, advancing scholarship grounded in lived Black realities for over 50 years.
- Jegnaship: A cornerstone of our tradition, Jegnaship calls forth African moral leadership and generational responsibility. Jegnas are guides, teachers, and protectors committed to nurturing the next generation of African/Black leaders.
- Student Circle: Not simply a training ground, but a site of intellectual continuation and innovation—where legacy meets purpose.
- Certification in African/Black Psychology (CABP): The Certification in African/Black Psychology (CABP) is the actualization of the science of African/Black psychology in praxis.
- Sawubona Healing Circles: Sacred spaces integrating African ritual, communal accountability, and dialogue as a model for collective wellness.
- ABPsi Global Institute: A platform for global knowledge exchange, training, and access to African-centered psychological science.
- School and Organizational Consultation Initiative: Supports systemic transformation and cultural affirmation in schools and institutions.
- ABPsi Career Center: A resource that connects members to meaningful, values-aligned career opportunities.
- Black Wellness Directory: A tool for accessing culturally grounded psychological services.
- PsychDiscourse: A platform for news, critical commentary, and updates on issues impacting African/Black communities.
- Zola Mondays: A social media initiative for reflection, dialogue, and engagement on Black wellness and psychology.
Scholarship that Speaks to the Moment
The existence and leadership of ABPsi are more vital than ever. Our transformative work in ancestral and community healing practices, research, professional training, Jegnaship, and scholarship represents an evolving discipline rooted in legacy. ABPsi’s body of work includes thousands of scholarly publications, books, book chapters, and papers. More than research, this scholarship serves as both a mirror and a map, reflecting collective truths and charting pathways for transformation. Whether responding to Hurricane Katrina, COVID-19, state-sanctioned violence, the dismantling of DEI, global health inequities, or the academic and cultural needs of students of African ancestry, ABPsi has contributed to legislation, policy development, and educational standards, establishing a foundation for African-centered psychological practice that continues to influence academic, clinical, and community-based approaches.
A Call to Action
We invite students, scholars, practitioners, healers, artists, and community members of African ancestry across all disciplines committed to the liberation and well-being of African people to engage with the ongoing development of the science of African/Black Psychology. Your knowledge, experience, and perspective are essential. This is a call to deepen the work, build with intention, and carry forward a tradition of scholarship and healing rooted in the lives and experiences of African people globally. We are building for the next generation and we cannot do it without you.
Come Home to ABPsi. This is the work of now. This is the inheritance we must protect. This is the tradition we must expand.
References
American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation. (2025, March 21). Addressing accredited program questions about the enforcement of diversity accreditation standards [Memorandum]. https://irp.cdn-website.com/a14f9462/files/uploaded/Message_from_the_APA_CoA.pdf
American Psychological Association. (2021, October). Apology to people of color for APA’s role in promoting, perpetuating, and failing to challenge racism, racial discrimination, and human hierarchy in the U.S. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology
Association of Black Psychologists. (n.d.). Home. https://abpsi.org/
Association of Black Psychologists. (2021, November 24). The APA apology: Unacceptable [Statement]. https://abpsi.org/the-apa-apology-unacceptable/
| I.B.2.: The following statements will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| The program has made systematic, coherent, and long-term efforts to attract and retain students and faculty from diverse backgrounds into the program. Consistent with such efforts, it acts to ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment appropriate for the training of individuals who are diverse and the provision of training opportunities for a broad spectrum of individuals. Further, the program avoids any actions that would restrict program access on grounds that are irrelevant to success in graduate training, either directly or by imposing significant and disproportionate burdens on the basis of the personal and demographic characteristics set forth in the definition of cultural diversity. |
| I.D.1.a: The following underlined clause from the statement below will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| Academic recruitment and admissions, including general recruitment/admissions and recruitment of students who are diverse. |
| II.A.1.b: Entire Standard III.B.3: The following underlined clause from the statement below will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| To ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment for a diverse student body, the program must avoid any actions that would restrict program access on grounds that are irrelevant to success in graduate training. |
| III.C.2: Entire Standard IV.B.5: Entire Standard |
| Doctoral I.B.2: The following statements will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| The program has made systematic, coherent, and long-term efforts to attract and retain students and faculty from diverse backgrounds into the program. Consistent with such efforts, it acts to ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment appropriate for the training of individuals who are diverse and the provision of training opportunities for a broad spectrum of individuals. |
| I.D.1.a: The following underlined clause from the statement below will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| Academic recruitment and admissions, including general recruitment/admissions and recruitment of students who are diverse. |
| III.A.1.b(i)–(ii): Entire Standard |
| Doctoral Internship I.B.3: The following statements will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| The program has made systematic, coherent, and long-term efforts to attract and retain interns and faculty/staff from diverse backgrounds into the program. Consistent with such efforts, it acts to ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment appropriate for the training of individuals who are diverse. |
| I.D.1(a)-(b): Entire Standard III.A.2.a-b: Entire Standard IV.B: Entire Standard V.A.1.c: Entire Standard |
| Postdoctoral Residency I.B.3: The following statements will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| The program has made systematic, coherent, and long-term efforts to attract and retain interns and faculty/staff from diverse backgrounds into the program. Consistent with such efforts, it acts to ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment appropriate for the training of individuals are diverse and the provision of training opportunities for a broad spectrum of individuals. Further, the program avoids any actions that would restrict program access on grounds that are irrelevant to success in graduate training, either directly or by imposing significant and disproportionate burdens on the basis of the personal and demographic characteristics set forth in the definition of cultural diversity. |
| I.D.1.a-b: Entire Standard |
| III.A.3: Entire Standard |
| IV.B.2.a: Entire Standard |
| I.D.1.a-b: Entire Standard III.A.3: Entire Standard IV.B.2.a: Entire Standard |
| V.A.1.a: The underlined clause will not be reviewed for compliance: |
| V.A.1.a: The underlined clause will not be reviewed for compliance: The program demonstrates its commitment to public disclosure by providing accurate and complete written materials and other communications that appropriately represent it to all relevant publics. At a minimum, this includes general program information pertaining to its aims, recruitment and selection, implementation of strategies to ensure resident cohorts that are diverse, required training experiences, use of distance education technologies for training and supervision, and expected training outcomes. |
Changes to DEI Compliance