At CAPPC we believe, unequivocally, that Black Lives Matter. Moreover, in the words of Layla F. Saad, we believe that “Black life Matters… as in Black health, Black wealth, Black success, Black joy, Black breath, Black love, Black laughter, Black creativity, Black abundance, Black peace, Black ease, Black well-being, Black self-expression, Black community, Black culture, Black safety, Black protection, Black leadership, Black history, Black self-determination, Black self-definition, Black individuality, Black truth-telling, Black humanity, Black existence.”
As positive psychologists, we recognize the truth of these words and aim to promote not only surviving but thriving. Black thriving matters.
The United States of America is a country built from slavery and rooted in white supremacy that perpetuates the suffering of Black, Indigenous People, and People of Color (BIPOC). Structural, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized racism continue to shape the lives of all people of color today. The field of Psychology and the branch of Positive Psychology are not exempt from enacting racism and have, many times in history and to this day, contributed to the direct oppression of Black people, Indigenous people, and all People of Color. We believe that a true positive psychologist does not turn away from those truths, looking at the world and seeing only joy and hope; a true positive psychologist looks and sees deep suffering, fluctuating hopelessness, and the potential for a better world, seeking both to repair past harm and build an equitable future. If pessimism is a tool of White supremacy, discouraging imagination of a world free from exploitation and harm, we aim to dismantle it through struggle and determination rooted in even deeper compassion and action.
June 5th, 2020 would have been the 27th birthday of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman and award-winning EMT who was shot and killed by police while at home in her bed on March 13th, 2019. Today, and everyday, we remember the lives and mourn the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, David McAtee, Nina Pop and countless other Black adults and children lost to police violence and racial hate. Everyday, we re-commit ourselves to building a community that actively engages the movement to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression, protect Black life, and promote Black thriving.
Black Lives Matter & The Movement for Black Lives
This statement was written by the current CAPPC team members, Meg Boyer, Elana Hubert, and Heidi Zetzer, all of whom identify as White cis-gender women.