Newsletter and Journal

For those SPAs and APA Divisions with a regularly published newsletter, there exists a variety of potential avenues for regular communication with ethnic minority psychologists. For example, a regular column or article can be devoted to addressing ethnic minority issues and concerns. Also, the newsletter can be used to report on the activities and events that focus on ethnic minority issues and encourage ethnic minority members to seek active involvement in SPA/division affairs. Involvement of ethnic minority graduate students and young professionals in the editing of SPA and division newsletters is a way of creating roles for ethnic minority members that strengthen their early careers, while enhancing the diversity of issues addressed in the SPA or APA division newsletter.

Similarly, ethnic minority participation can positively contribute to the editorial and ethnic minority communication processes of those journals affiliated with APA divisions. A 1998 report of the APA Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) on “Ethnic Minority Participation in the APA Editorial Pipeline” includes the following recommendations:

Develop editorial mentoring opportunities for ethnic minority graduate students in psychology. Editors and their editorial boards should engage in targeted and aggressive outreach to ethnic minority psychologists to serve as reviewers. Consideration should be given to the establishment of “editorial internships” for early career ethnic minority psychologists.

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Annual Convention Meetings

Another method of communicating with ethnic minority members is through use of convention time for meetings, social gatherings, symposia and guest speakers. The national APA, regional, and state psychological association conventions could have time set aside by the program committee for meetings and forums to discuss issues relevant to people of color. Social gathering time also could be allocated to allow for informal networking among persons with ethnic minority interests. This may take the form of brown bag lunches, conversation hours, or social hours. Presentations or symposia on ethnic minority topics or by ethnic minority psychologists might be specifically encouraged in the Convention’s “Call for Papers”. A guest speaker on ethnic minority issues can highlight the organization's interest in the subject. Some regional conventions give student awards for research presentations. This might be extended to an ethnic minority student paper award. Some SPA's and divisions reduce convention fees for psychologists of color to encourageparticipation. The rationale is that once these psychologists attend a meeting, and find common issues and recognition of their issues and concerns, they are more likely to return and become participants in the organization.

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Mentorship Network

On an informal basis, the promotion of a mentorship network can help introduce and bring ethnic minority members through the ranks of the SPA or APA division. The existing networks within SPAs and divisions are powerful. The intricacies of the organizational structure, with its variety of personalities, often are difficult to readily comprehend. The help and encouragement of established members within a SPA or Division can facilitate the professional development of an individual ethnic minority member. Existing leadership can foster ethnic minority participation in a most powerful way through their personal participation in mentoring.

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Leadership Workshops

In a more formal manner, divisions and SPAs provide something similar to mentorships. There are leadership workshops that are provided for promising new members. The inclusion of people of color in such workshops is a highly visible way of demonstrating willingness to help diversify the membership and the leadership. These workshops help in directing professional growth: The eventual anticipated outcome is a well-trained cadre of members who are groomed to take on leadership roles. These roles include organization activities such as elected office, committee membership, task force membership or caucus work.

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