Equity & Advocacy Bulletin #7


FEBRUARY 2022 | ANA Equity & Advocacy Bulletin by Jody Lanza-Gregory, MA

UPCOMING EVENTS

We want to start this month’s bulletin by writing to you all in solidarity with our Black community members regarding the senseless murders that continue to occur at the hands of the police state. Today, we honor Amir Locke, a 22-year-old man who was murdered by the Minneapolis Police this month while asleep during a no-knock raid. Here is a recent statement written by the Center for Policing Equity. In response to Amir Locke’s murder, and in a continued fight for justice for Breonna Taylor, many community members continue to call for an end to no-knock warrants. For more information on the movement to end no-knock raids, visit https://endallnoknocks.org/. Information about Minnesota-specific advocacy events and actions can be found here, and community trauma resources are available through the MN Department of Health

February 17th – Equity, Child and Family Wellbeing, and Healthy Societies – Hosted by the MIT Open Learning program, join Dr. Michael McAfee and Dr. Larissa Duncan to bring together educators, researchers, practitioners, and leaders in education to discuss how to implement effective systems level change in education.

February 25th – Multicultural Education and Training in Psychology: Let’s Talk about Skill Acquisition – Join Taquitos de Sesos, a cross-cultural neuropsychology didactic program based out of Baylor College of Medicine, for the next installment in their continuing education series. 

February 28th – Contemporary Asian American Activism Book Talk and Panel – Join the editors and contributors of Contemporary Asian American Activism for a book talk and panel conversation about their collection of 21st century Asian American activists’ lived experiences.

March 19 – 20th 6th Annual South Asian Mental Health Conference – “Strength in Numbers: Stories of our Shared History, Struggle and Triumph” – The theme for this conference is focused on understanding cultural traditions of our ancestors, linking the past, present and future. It is a 2-day virtual event bringing together students, professionals ,and community members to discuss many aspects of South Asian Mental Health including but not limited to stigmas of mental health, barriers to utilization of services, lack of research, importance of religion/culture, and gaps in support and supervision. The conference will address spirituality, religion, traditional forms of healing, culturally sensitive interventions/research practice, and community grassroots/social justice practices.

RESOURCES

Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies – An organization that serves Desi individuals and families who trace their origins to South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Their mission is to foster understanding and acceptance among families, with the goal of affirming and celebrating our LGBTQ+ loved ones. They host monthly online support and discussion groups for parents and family members of LGBTQ+ individuals, and for LGBTQ+ people who are struggling with family acceptance. They also  offer educational programs like Proud Possibilities, which feature LGBTQ+ possibility models for our community, as well as speaker events featuring topics such as mental health, raising transgender children and much more. For details and upcoming events, visit https://www.desirainbow.org/

Voice of Witness, a non-profit focused on elevating the voices and perspectives of those impacted by injustice, has compiled a list of organizations that are working towards raising awareness, advocating, and advancing racial justice. The organization also has developed a list of important resources for learning more about Black history and ongoing racial injustices in honor of Black History Month. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Equity and Inclusion Officer for Society for Clinical Neuropsychology’s Association of Neuropsychology Students & Trainees (ANST) – ANST is accepting applications for committee member positions including an Equity and Inclusion Officer, which involves coordination with ANA and other cultural neuropsychology organizations. To apply, you must be a student/trainee member of ANST. Applications include an application form, cover letter, CV, and letter of recommendation. The materials are due by 11:59pm EST on March 11th, 2022. For more information on the position and how to apply, email d40anst@gmail.com.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplements to Recognize Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Mentorship – The participating Institutes and Centers (ICs) are inviting applications to support administrative supplements to existing awards of scientists who are outstanding mentors and who have demonstrated compelling commitments and contributions to enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the biomedical sciences. Excellent mentorship and superior training are critical to the development of exceptional future scientists. This administrative supplement recognizes the crucial role great mentors play in the development of future leaders in the scientific research enterprise. See the following link for eligibility details: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-22-057.html

LISTEN/WATCH/READ

Developing Critical Consciousness: Transforming Psychology by Resisting Complacency and Leading with IntegrityPresentation by Dr. Jasmine Mena, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychology, Bucknell University)

Check out this powerful first talk from the four-part Intersectionality Series hosted by ANA Advocacy Committee in collaboration with HNS, SBN, and QNS. This talk is available to ANA members here (login required). An option for home study CE credit is available through Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS) – an APA-approved sponsor of Continuing Education for psychologists. Registration for one CE credit is $20 and will require a post-talk evaluation quiz. Please visit the HNS website via the link above for more details regarding instructional level, target audience, and refund/cancellation policy.

Current status of inclusion of black subjects in neuropsychological studies: A scoping review and call to actionArticle by Ray, Mariouw, Anderson, George, Bisignano, Hernandez & Montgomery (2022)

Neuropsychology’s race problem does not begin or end with demographically adjusted normsArticle by Drs. Desiree A. Byrd & Monica G. Rivera-Mindt

Systemic challenges in health service psychology internship training: A call to action from trainee stakeholdersArticle by Palitsky et al. (2022). The paper calls for systemic changes related to pre-doctoral internship training and for increased representation of trainee stakeholder voices in the systems-level changes that would promote more equitable experiences for all interns.

Towards a Psychological Science of Abolition Democracy: Insights for Improving Theory and Research on Race and Public SafetyArticle by Najdowsky & Goff (2022)

How It Feels to Be an Asian Student in an Elite Public SchoolNew York Times Article

When Asian-American Seniors Are Too Scared to Leave Home, Getting Food on the Table Is a Struggle Bloomberg News Article

LEGISLATION/POLICY UPDATES

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced changes to international student visas that have implications for trainees studying and working in the United States. The announced changes include adding industrial and organizational psychology to the fields that are eligible for a STEM extension under optional practical training (OPT), which provides a year of work authorization for international students post-graduation. The STEM extension expands the work authorization to two years. Presently, Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology are not included as eligible for the OPT extension, leaving many psychology and neuropsychology trainees in our field in a vulnerable position navigating visas during the recommended 2-year fellowship period.

Some states, such as most recently New Jersey and Illinois, have recently passed legislation mandating K-12 schools teach Asian American studies in schools. Other states, including Ohio, California, New York, Florida and Connecticut, are beginning to follow suit.

Join the APA Psychology Advocacy Network to stay up to date on important legislative changes by registering for the newsletter and action alerts here.