When I look around the room during APA's Council of Representatives meetings, I'm delighted to see we have made significant progress in the number of women representatives: This year, 105 of 180 council members are women. Unfortunately, the number of racial and ethnic minority representatives continues to be low, with nonwhite members constituting only 18 percent of the council.
I see a similar need for increased diversity in the field of health-service psychology. It's also clear that diversity is largely lacking in our research participant pools. While women earned three out of four psychology doctoratesopens in new window, people of color, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community and other critical voices are still underrepresented.
Yet without more diversity, how can psychology truly bring its best to society? How can we ensure our research is strong, our leadership representative and our policies fair unless we are training and including more diverse groups of people?
Addressing these concerns is one of APA's top priorities. In its new strategic plan, APA's vision is to create "a strong, diverse and unified psychology that enhances knowledge and improves the human condition." One of the plan's guiding principles is to "champion diversity and inclusion" by furthering "the understanding and appreciation of differences" and being "inclusive in everything we do" (www.apa.org/about/apa/strategic-plan/index).
To achieve these goals, APA has created an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework that reflects APA's view that diversity, equity and inclusion are vital to our success and should be infused in all aspects of the association's work. The framework also provides a vision statement, guiding principles and a model for making an impact in the association, the field of psychology and the world. In addition, the framework identifies strengths and gaps in our current efforts, as well as opportunities for future progress.
As part of the effort to implement the new framework, APA just recently hired its first Chief Diversity Officer, who will lead the way in carrying out a transformational agenda to infuse equity, diversity and inclusion throughout APA, as well as communicate and promote the framework's broader goals.
To change our culture, we need to be intentional and place diversity at the forefront of everything we do. So, how can you help? Start wherever you are in the field of psychology, whether that's in a graduate or training program, research, applied work, practice and/or APA leadership. Don't just invite new people to the table. Ensure that they are heard, feel welcomed and have the same opportunities as everyone else to achieve success at every level.