American Psychological Association apologizes for contributing to systemic racism

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“The American Psychological Association has failed in its leadership role in the discipline of psychology, has been complicit in its contribution to systemic inequalities, and has hurt many through racism, racial discrimination, and the denigration of people of color, thereby failing in its mission to benefit society and improve lives, ”the group said in a press release.

“APA is deeply sorry, accepts responsibility and owns the actions and inactions of the APA itself, the discipline of psychology and the individual psychologists who have been the leaders of the organization and the field,” a- he added.

The group adopted the apology and two other resolutions relating to racism and health equity on Friday after being unanimously approved by its governing body.

“For the first time, the APA and American psychology are systematically and intentionally examining, recognizing and charting a way forward to address their role in perpetuating racism,” said APA President Jennifer F. Kelly, in a press release.

Kelly, also director of the Atlanta Center for Behavioral Medicine, said the resolutions are part of a “long process of reconciliation and healing” and are intended to guide the association and discipline as they move forward.

The organization said it had been complicit in systemic racism and eugenics for decades by “upholding the myth of white superiority.”

Psychology has accepted whiteness as the norm and “presented other races as inferior, marginal or unnatural,” the group said.

White men created the APA in 1892 and many of them contributed to methods that perpetuated systemic racism, such as promoting eugenics, the APA said.

“Psychologists have created, promoted and administered psychological tests, intelligence tests, educational assessments and interventions that have been standardized on white, culturally biased and discriminated against people of color,” the APA said. .

Along with the resolutions, the APA has published a timeline from 1869 to the present which details events, research, and practices in the field of psychology that have harmed communities of color or contributed to racism.

The review was conducted by the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at Akron University and commissioned by the APA.

This historical review, according to the APA, shows that psychologists created, supported and promoted a view of people of color as deficient or damaged; used psychological science and practice to support separate and poor education for people of color, and did not speak out against the framework of government-run boarding schools for Indigenous children in the United States.

The APA said it was only beginning to apologize to communities of color and planned to continue examining other forms of “destructive social hierarchies” beyond racism.

The group’s CEO has been tasked with developing a long-term plan to help the group implement the resolutions goal, which includes many recommendations on how psychology can be used for fairness in the world. education, the criminal justice system, workplaces and health care.

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