DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Dr. Maisa Akbar, Chief Diversity Officer of the American Psychological Association (APA), about the organization's historic apology for its contributions to systemic racism and harms inflicted upon communities of color throughout its 130-year history. Dr. Akbar discusses the process of examining APA's archives, identifying instances of racism and discrimination, and engaging in listening sessions to understand the lived experiences of psychologists of color.
A key step was passing a resolution to uniformly define racism, establishing a baseline for the work to dismantle systemic racism. The apology was then unanimously passed by APA's governing Council of Representatives, committing the organization to concrete action steps beyond just acknowledging past harms. Dr. Akbar emphasizes the importance of acknowledging history as fuel for change rather than becoming paralyzed by guilt.
The APA is now auditing its current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities focused on racism, conducting a gap analysis, and setting accountability metrics. Dr. Akbar shares that the process has inspired other associations and industries to undertake similar efforts, and the APA plans to publish resources chronicling its approach for others to learn from.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The American Psychological Association issued a historic apology for its role in perpetuating systemic racism and harming communities of color throughout its 130-year history.
- The APA underwent a thorough process of examining its archives, engaging diverse perspectives, and passing a resolution to uniformly define racism as a baseline for change.
- The apology was unanimously passed along with a commitment to concrete action steps beyond just acknowledging past harms.
- Dr. Akbar emphasizes using history as fuel for positive change rather than becoming paralyzed by guilt.
- The APA is now auditing its DEI efforts, conducting gap analyses, and setting accountability metrics as next steps.
- This groundbreaking work has inspired other associations and industries to undertake similar processes of introspection and change.
- The APA plans to publish resources chronicling its approach to serve as a model for dismantling systemic oppression.
- Relationship-building and open dialogue were key to gaining buy-in despite difficulties and differing perspectives.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We decided to engage in a process of having an internal look at who we are and to look at the things that were difficult in terms of what we engaged in.“ by Maisa Akbar
- “The focus and the intention was never to make people feel bad or to look at, you know, who they are today and make them feel guilty for the wrongs of, you know, the history of our association. But we did want to bring awareness to what has made psychology what it is today.“ by Maisa Akbar
- “Like my daughter, let's acknowledge that our privilege doesn't have to turn into entitlement, but that instead we can leverage our privilege to change the world.“ by Maisa Akbar's daughter
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Episode Information
The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Jennifer Brown
2/4/22
This episode, originally recorded as a DEI Community Call, features a conversation with Dr. Maysa Akbar, Chief Diversity Officer for the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Akbar discusses the APA’s public commitment to continue its work to dismantle systemic racism, and how the organization has apologized for its longstanding contributions to systemic racism, acknowledging the historical harms inflicted upon communities of color by the discipline of psychology. Discover the approach that the APA took to delve into historical archives and identify the harms committed against communities of color, and why the passing of a resolution to uniformly define racism within APA became an essential baseline for the work they would do to fight systemic racism.