Statement of Mourning from Dr. Edstrom
Dear PsyD Community,
As President Castleberry’s blog post on June 1 states, “The murderous killing of George Floyd at the hands of police has brought the issue of justice for African Americans to the front of America’s attention, as it should have long before. Northwest University unequivocally condemns this unjust murder, along with other recent cases, and we join our voice to those of millions of Americans who are demanding that our whole society address this issue effectively now.” (See this link for Northwest University’s full statement: https://www.northwestu.edu/blog/northwest-universitys-response-to-americas-crisis/.)
As psychologists and psychology educators:
We lament and ache for the families who have lost someone beloved and irreplaceable, and for a nation who has forfeited precious members of its own.
We express great anger at the injustices that continue to cost black lives, perpetuate inequities in every sector of society, and insidiously affect African Americans every day.
We humbly acknowledge our failure to relentlessly oppose racism.
We resolve to commit the breadth of our skills, knowledge, expertise, and influence as psychologists to enact change.
We will bravely face and examine our own lives and make amends to those we may have wronged, even if a result of thoughtlessness or ignorance.
Northwest University pledges to learn and love better and to create a safe place for students of color. Further, the PsyD program is formulating specific action steps to improve our curriculum and training—to better mentor and teach more effective advocates and yield the change agents that our nation so desperately needs.
We can do better justice, and we commit ourselves to it (Northwest University, 6/1/20).
On behalf of the PsyD program,
Dr. Edstrom