We are pleased to announce that The Association for Psychosocial Studies (APS) Statement in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racist Activism is now live.
The APS unequivocally supports Black Lives Matter and anti-racist activism. The movement has been and will continue to be led by people, especially women, of colour, but we cannot and should not expect them to shoulder this burden alone. It is incumbent on all of us to dismantle white supremacy. It is the responsibility of our white colleagues throughout the psychosocial community to respect, listen to and learn from black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee (BAMER) colleagues’, students’ and patients’ lived experiences of racism. We understand that in this situation it is not enough to be non-racist. To simply not be racist is to passively accept structural inequality. Silence is complicity. We need to come together to formulate active anti-racist practices.
The APS is committed to working with academic, practitioner and wider communities to better understand the problems we collectively face and to formulate the tools necessary for the task at hand. The APS understands that we still have a lot to learn. We have no illusions that the conversations to come will be easy, but we intend to put in the work.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be formulating public events and publications to further a dialogue within our expanded psychosocial networks. The first of these will be online on 31 July at 14:30 as part of the APS Summer Programme. This will be a space for reflection and listening. Details of this event and others will be made public on our website and circulated in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, whether you are a member of the APS or part of our wider community, we value your insights and contributions to our continued development. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr Nini Fang, Dr Anthony Faramelli and Dr Jacob Johnanssen, who are working on a newly formed steering group on anti-racism and discrimination. They can be contacted via: adm.apsychosocialstudies AT gmail.com.
The full statement can be read online here
In Solidarity,
The Association for Psychosocial Studies