Community
Association of Black Psychologist Celebrate 50 Years
Left to right: Min. Keith Mohammed, Muhammad Mosque Number 26; Dr Patricia Nunley; Rev Dr William Coleman – Restoring the Way of the Ancestors: Black Theology; Min. Greg Hodge- Wo’se Community Church; Dr Theopia Jackson – President-Elect for National ABpsi; Dr Huberta Jackson-Lowman President for National ABPsi; Dr Wade Nobles – founding member of ABpsi, and Rev J. Alfred Smith Jr. / Allen Temple Baptist Church. Not shown: Rev Andriette Earl – Heart and Soul Center of Light; Pastor Horacio Jones – Family Bible Fellowship; Rev Michael McBride – The Way Christian Center; Carol Burton, Interim Director, Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.
The 50th Anniversary Conference of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) opened with a reverent and celebratory tribute to the ancestors and a welcome to those present.
Presented by Daktari Dance Medicine Collective, 50 dancers, drummers, and cultural workers sprinkled medicine into the hearts and minds of those in the grand hall that night. From the welcome call, Fanga Alafia, to the “Invocation and Libation,” Diaspora dances Yanvalou, Parigol and Ogum and Spoken Medicine, the theme for the 50th Annual Conference, “Building for Eternity,” June 27-July 1, 2018, was evoked, ratified and confirmed.
Conference co-chairs Lawford Goodard, Ph.D., and Patricia Canson Griffith, Ph.D., thoughtfully planned what is certain to be one of the more historic gatherings of Diaspora Black scholars anywhere to date. [Constituent scholars were present from South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and England.
From workshops to poster presentations, awards luncheons honoring constituents and community members such as Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Coogler, Jason Shankle, Sr. and Annelle B. Primm, M.D., MPH, to the uniquely African Mbongi Assembly Talks, “Gathering of Stools Ceremony, Sunrise Ceremony: The Raising up of the Ancestors” and the “Multi-faith and Family Breakfast,” the 50th anniversary conference was an opportunity to look back, as Dr. Wade Nobles, co-founder of ABPsi, said, not with nostalgia but with a critical eye to see what of the past is worth retaining and what should be discarded.
Conference sessions and workshops include topic discussions such as “Trauma Informed Care for Black Families,” “African Centered Therapy in Practice: Integrating Practices of Spirit into Therapy,” “Depression, Stress and the Myth of the Black Super Woman, Racism and Clinical Supervision,” “Mentoring the Next Generation of Black Psychologists,” and “Navigating Blackness and Queerness in Black Spaces.”
Dr. Nobles and Dr. Cheryl Grills shared in their work the need to stay grounded in community practice. They said the clinician is not always the expert, because in most cases, the village holds the wisdom and with shared tools much more is accomplished. South African clinicians and scholars presented how traditional medicine and ethics is changing the treatment of the dominant culture.
It is a conscious decolonizing process which is fascinating in its reach and power.
Dr. Nobles also spoke of the colonial language used to name African ways of being, and its inadequacy. There is much left to do, but at 50 years old, ABPsi has certainly laid a mighty foundation and ought to be congratulated.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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