Statement of APA President Marking Martin Luther King Day

Newswise — WASHINGTON – Following is the statement of Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, marking Martin Luther King Day:

“Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who brought hope and progress toward civil rights and desegregation through peaceful protest. His dedication to addressing racial discrimination in the United States through non-violent means left a historic legacy that includes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has served as a model for social movements that helped end communism in Eastern Europe and apartheid in South Africa.

“Dr. King delivered a seminal address at the 1967 APA Annual Convention, in which he extolled the importance of psychological research to encourage racial understanding and equality. For African-Americans especially, ‘who substantially are excluded from society, this science is needed even more desperately than for any other group in the population,’ he said.

“Since then, psychology has made significant advances in understanding and addressing the causes and effects of racism, but much more needs to be done. This work is especially important in today’s political climate, with its marginalization of immigrants and people of color.

“It is imperative that we scientists, practitioners and educators continue working toward increasing the understanding among racial and ethnic groups, in order to help still-vulnerable people succeed.”

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

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