Racial Discrimination
Thank you for the Monitor'sJune article on the effects of racial discrimination. However, I've been disappointed in APA's public response to the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police officers as well as mass shooters. APA's virtual silence in response to the numerous police shootings of unarmed African-American men, women and children is dumbfounding. In an op-ed in response to Ferguson by former APA leaders, the authors fall short of condemning the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and assert, "[t]he judicial system will determine exactly what transpired between Michael Brown and the police officer." Considering the historical treatment of African-Americans by the judicial system, and the continued shocking disparities, their faith in the ability of the system to determine what transpired and provide a just outcome was questionable at best. Perhaps the APA leaders' questionable faith is representative of the APA's position overall, and explains the silence.
Moreover, while I commend the APA on its vigorous response to the Orlando tragedy, I couldn't help but compare it to the APA's response to the Charleston shootings. When I looked back to see if the APA offered services to the families of the victims of the Charleston shootings, or any other resources, I couldn't find anything, not even a public statement condemning the shootings. I call on APA to respond as vigorously to the murder and mass shootings of African-Americans as they have to the Orlando tragedy.
Luciano Lima
Third-year doctoral student, Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy, Chicago
APA's Response
Thank you for your letter of concern. APA has been actively engaging its many streams of communication to provide information in the wake of the recent shootings. We have, for example:
- Urged members to offer assistance to communities where violence occurred, whether through APA's Disaster Resource Network or other means.
- Hosted a July 19 Twitter chat on "Stress, Discrimination and Mental Health" to discuss the shootings.
- Participated in a White House telephone briefing on the shootings and the president's response.
APA has taken significant steps over the last few years to address police-community relations and reduce violence, such as by supporting anti-profiling legislation and advocating for the use of evidence-based techniques to reduce the role of stereotypes and implicit bias in policing.
Kim I. Mills
Deputy Executive Director of APA Communications
Please send letters to APA Monitor on Psychology Editor Sara Martin at smartin@apa.org. Letters should be limited to 175 words and may be edited for space and clarity.
