Abstract
Last year was just as difficult as 2020, maybe even more so. We had already endured 10 months of a constricted life. To continue 12 months of the same if not more was mentally and physically challenging. It was also challenging for the Journal of Black Psychology—as people are at the heart of a journal—the readers, the reviewers, the authors, and editors. I want to thank all of those who have endured with JBP. We appreciated the authors writing and submitting to JBP fascinating manuscripts on COVID-19, suicide, and activism, just to name a few. We were excited about the manuscripts submitted on Black women’s body image. We are equally thankful for the reviewers, who beyond their own day-to-day work read the manuscripts. Due to the strain of the demands of COVID-19, the review process took longer to complete. It was understandable, as everyone at each level of the process was affected by the pandemic. The associate editors also worked hard to read all of the reviews and make decisions.
Now we must look forward. COVID-19 is not in our rearview mirror, but we have been adapting to cope with its presence. More than ever, we are motivated to look and move forward. The word that best captures this spirit is Sankofa. From the Akan tribe in Ghana, Sankofa is a symbol of the Akan people’s view of knowledge, past and future (Carter G. Woodson Center, n.d.). To move forward in the quest for knowledge, we must not forget our past. Our past knowledge is what strengthens our knowledge and action in the future. We hope you will view the Journal of Black Psychology in the same vein: this journal holds vast knowledge about the psychological experiences of Blacks across the African diaspora. However, this knowledge needs to be extended into the future. We welcome new submissions on a variety of topics about Black psychology across the diaspora. We also welcome new reviewers. Feel free to contact me.
Hotep.