Updates on APA’s EDI and racial equity work

APA President, Thema S. Bryant, PhD, led a discussion surrounding the implementation of the Racial Equity Action Plan and other EDI-focused initiatives positioned to impact APA, the field of psychology, and society. 

Two years after apologizing for perpetuating historic racism, APA asked racial equity experts and advocates from around the nation to identify long-term strategies to advance equity in health care and scholarship.

APA focuses on raising awareness and understanding of its employees about the Racial Equity Plan adopted by the Council of Representatives. 

Progress on the Leadership Development Institute has continued apace. Find out how APA is looking ahead as we continue to build the institute with input from our members and stakeholders.

On November 3, business leaders and psychologists shared proven strategies to help employers improve mental health for all workers at a National Business Summit on Mental Health Equity. APA hosted the summit with the Health Action Alliance, the country’s largest employer network operating at the intersection of business and public health.

A year after APA’s apology to people of color, the association is working on an organization-wide process to follow through on more than 50 actions designed to dismantle systemic racism. The goal is to create a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive field of psychology that promotes human rights, fairness, and dignity for all.

In August, APA released its Racial Equity Action Plan and simultaneously announced the creation of the Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The purpose of the LDI is to serve as a science-based, central hub for all APA leadership development, training and mentoring programs.

By a vote of 149-8, with 2 abstentions, APA’s Council of Representatives adopted a Racial Equity Action Plan. The action plan builds on APA’s apology to communities of color for the association and psychology’s roles in contributing to systemic racism.

In May, APA launched the Striving for Workplace Mental Health Excellence initiative to encourage employers to take vital actions to secure employee mental health. One key recommendation to organizational leaders was to critically evaluate their EDI policies and programs to ensure they support marginalized populations.

APA is committed to using psychology to dismantle systemic racism and advance racial equity to improve the future of the discipline, the association, and society. This is not just about what we are trying to dismantle; it is about what we are trying to build.

APA's advocacy priorities reflect the association’s strategic commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and encompass the guiding principles of nondiscrimination, health equity, and health promotion across the lifespan.

The Racial Equity Audit Report provides a critical baseline from which the association can set priorities and a snapshot of APA’s current efforts to advance racial equity. The results of the audit will facilitate the development of an action plan for system-wide change.

APA released a comprehensive inventory of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and racial equity work during the February 2022 APA Council meeting. The intent of the Racial Equity Audit Report is to better understand the association’s current EDI initiatives focused on racial equity, as well as the racial and ethnic identification of elected and appointed leaders and APA staff.

As APA commits to addressing its harms to communities of color and confronting systemic racism, we encourage others to pursue principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in your work, in your field, and beyond. We all have a role to play in advancing EDI. Use these monthly actions to further racial equity and foster meaningful change.