Dear Friends,
In the past weeks we have been horrified and saddened with the news of yet another Black life taken at the hands of the police. While it is difficult to find the words to express the sadness and pain we are collectively feeling, we decided that it would be critical to stand united against racism and injustice. Many have pointed out the many ways that we can help by supporting Black owned businesses, financially supporting protestors, making donations to ongoing and new projects to fight injustice among many others. We support these recommendations but also commit ourselves to effect changes in our preparation of students and support of faculty and practitioners of color.
Today and from this day forward our organizations APA Division 16 School Psychology, Trainers of School Psychologists, Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs, Society for the Study of School Psychology, the American Board of School Psychology and the National Association of School Psychologists stand together to reaffirm our commitment to be anti-racist agents of change. Representatives from these organizations and others have worked together to pen our commitment to this charge in our document: School Psychology Unified Anti-Racism Statement and Call to Action.
We are already committing to our action plan and will be publishing the statement in the School Psychology Review and The School Psychologist. We will work with our journals to do the same.
Shane Jimerson has created the following links to endorse, support and commit to action individually or as an organization or both.
School Psychology Unified Anti-Racism Statement and Call to Action
Organization Sign-On to Endorse, Support, and Commit to Action
Individual Sign-On to Endorse, Support and Commit to Action
Since several members of the writing team are part of the Futures Conference and are members of the School Psychology Leadership Roundtable, we want to further establish efforts within these groups to facilitate unified actions and accountability.
We ask for your help in actualizing these plans and disseminating our statement broadly.
In solidarity,
Enedina García-Vázquez
Linda Reddy
Prerna Arora
Shane Jimerson
Kisha Radliff
Franci Crepeau-Hobson
Celeste Malone
Tara Raines
Pam Fenning
Tammy Hughes
Sam Song
Clifford Hatt
Kathleen Minke
Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach