EMOTIONAL EMANCIPATION CIRCLE

In Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circles, we come together to:

• Share our stories and feelings, always respecting the humanity and dignity of each EE Circle member;

• Deepen our understanding of the impact of historical  forces on our emotional lives, our relationships, and well-being of our communities;

• Free our minds and spirits from the lies of White superiority and Black inferiority, and heal from the historical and continuing trauma of racism;

• Tell ourselves a new, liberating, and empowering story about who we are as people of African ancestry;

• Revitalize ourselves and our relationships with each other;

• Learn and practice essential emotional wellness skills to help us be at our very best–as individuals and as a people; and

• Develop strategies to extinguish the lie of White superiority and Black inferiority- once and for all.

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Black/African-Centered Psychology

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Preamble:  Based on a proposal submitted and accepted by the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), the following definition of African-Centered Psychology has been adopted.  It is the intention of the Committee to Advance African Psychology (CAAP) to establish a framework for content provided during the African Psychology Institute (API) that adheres to the values and principles expressed therein.  In recognition of the diverse historical experiences and cultural expressions within and between peoples of African ancestry, the following is the accepted definition:

Black/African-Centered Psychology is a dynamic manifestation of unifying African principles, values and traditions.  It is the self-conscious “centering of psychological analyses and applications in African realities, cultures and epistemologies.  Black/African-Centered Psychology, as a system of thought and action, examines the processes that allow for the illumination and liberation of the Spirit.  Relying on the principles of harmony within the universe as a natural order of existence, Black/African-Centered Psychology recognizes:  the Spirit that permeates everything that is; the notion that everything in the universe is interconnected; the value that the collective is the most salient element of existence; and the idea that communal self knowledge is the key to mental health.  Black/African-Centered Psychology is ultimately concerned with understanding the systems of meaning of human beingness, the features of human functioning and the restoration of normal/natural order to human development.  As such, it is used to resolve personal and social problems and to promote optimal functioning.