Abstract
In this issue, we have three articles that are timely to read, consider, and, possibly, act on regarding the lives of people of African-descent across the world. The lead article is about public policy of health care and the inherent racial bias based on social class, “the undeserving poor,” in the United States. The backdrop for this article is how African American have benefitted less from adequate health care based on the states that rejected the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Snowden and Graaf (2019) highlight the stereotypes and biases that bind race and social class to classify a group of people as “undeserving” of health care coverage. They make the case through numbers. This article is not the typical article published in the Journal of Black Psychology, but I hope it will not be the last. Fischhoff (1990) states, “Psychologists are needed by public policymakers whenever the outcomes of their policies either affect or depend on human behavior” (p. 647). Health care affects and depends on human behavior; thus, psychologists are needed to assist policymakers to understand the impact of their decisions on the health of a nation and its people, especially those of African descent. In the United States, health disparities based on race is well documented (National Center for Health Statistics, 2015; Phelan, Link, & Tehranifar, 2010). The challenge of adequate health care, especially the impact of social determinants (e.g., nutrition, water, living conditions), worldwide is also well documented (e.g., World Health Organization, n.d.). As a result, people of African descent around the world are affected, physically and psychologically. Snowden and Graff (2019) state what this article offers as well as the subsequent call: By reckoning with anti–African American biases as they affect political views and policy choices in Medicaid decision-making, this paper opens a window on the wider world of often-overlooked structural determinants of African Americans’ physical and psychological well-being. (p. 131)
Another public health issue is the death of Black males by police and the subsequent impact on the mental health of the Black community, and in particular, the surviving Black males. According to the Washington Post (2018), since 2015, the death rates of African Americans from killings by police have been found to be disproportionately higher than their population. Furthermore, Blacks are 10% more likely to report having psychological distress than non-Hispanic Whites (National Center for Health Statistics, 2015). Thus, Smith Lee and Robinson (2019) are timely in providing an in-depth look at the thoughts and feelings of Black males between the ages of 18 and 24 years in experiencing and witnessing police violence. Again, there is a need for more research in this area to develop interventions for Black males regarding their contact with police officers and on public policy on the training and accountability of police officers.
The final article in this issue focuses on the measurement of Black community activism. Hope, Pender, and Riddick (2019) note, “This group-specific activism gives voice to members of Black communities and provides an opportunity to make sociopolitical concerns known to other members of society” (p. 188). Using a large sample size of over 800 Black youth aged between 18 and 24 years, Hope et al. provide strong preliminary evidence to support the psychometric properties of the Black Community Activism Orientation Scale. This study provides an exemplar not only of the scale development process but also of creating measures that are specific to use with a Black population. Cultural specificity is necessary in addressing the disparities at the individual and community levels.
In closing, Snowden and Graff (2019) say it best about their article, but their statement is applicable to the other two well: “It invites psychologists to bring both science expertise and theoretical insights as they consider political and policy forces shaping African Americans’ lives” (p. 131). The need is, more than ever, for psychologists to become involved in public policy regarding Black people, from physical health to mental health as well as the measurement of activism or advocacy. I look forward to seeing more scholarship submitted and published in Journal of Black Psychology geared toward public policy from all aspects of the psychological functioning of Black people across the diaspora. Snowden and Graff’s statements are applicable to all African people and represent a call to use science and theory to have an impact on political and policy forces to reshape African people’s lives. This is the aim of Black/African centered psychology and the mission of the Association of Black Psychologists.