It’s September of 2020, so it’s been 3 months since the murder of George Floyd and roughly two weeks since the murder of Jacob Blake. Protests are ongoing as people mobilize to speak out against racism and to proclaim that Black Lives Matter. In this time of protest and calls for justice, many organizations have put out diversity statements that seek to affirm commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. After much work by member leaders of STP, we now bring you this Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP and our commitment to critical reflection and assessment, representation, equity, and inclusivity.

This statement is the product of pursuing those values. I worked with three members of the Executive Committee to draft and edit this statement – special thanks to VP for Diversity and International Relations Kelley Haynes-Mendez, Secretary Stephanie Afful, and President-Elect Susan Nolan for their work on this statement. Our first attempt at a statement was clumsy, at best. It came across as defensive and performative, even though our intention from the beginning was to avoid such things. STP’s Diversity Committee, led by Teceta Tormala, reviewed the first draft, and they responded with honesty, clarity, and appropriate frustration. Their critical reflection took us back to the drawing board, and we revised the statement to present to the Diversity Committee and the Executive Committee for review. With some minor edits from the EC, we sent the statement to APA for review (as is required for all APA Divisions seeking to put out such a statement). APA responded favorably to the statement, calling it “strong and compelling” and “a model for our association-wide efforts.” This positive feedback from APA would not have happened without the work of the Diversity Committee, specifically Teceta Tormala, Dina Gohar, and Leslie Berntsen. My deepest gratitude to each of them for helping us communicate the values of STP in ways that will help drive our work moving forward.

This statement is STP’s public commitment to all current and future teachers of psychology to pursue the values we outline in the document. The Executive Committee is openly and publicly asking that we be held accountable about how we can make these values a reality in the work of the Society. By being a member of this Society, we call on each of you to uphold these values in your classrooms and work contexts. Recognizing inequity and pursuing the values of critical reflection and assessment, representation, equity, and inclusivity allows us create systems that are antiracist, benefiting everyone and not just a few.

Read STP’s Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP here.

Provide feedback on diversity issues and accountability concerns to president@teachpsych.org.

Amy C. Fineburg, PhD

President, 2020