“It is your duty to fortify your own house, so that you may be a house of refuge in times of organization. And now is the time to plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize.” -Rapper Killer Mike, speech to Atlanta Mayoral Press Conference
ACBS is an international organization with the explicit mission of alleviating human suffering, so that we can contribute to the evolution of a more nurturing world. We are living in a time of profound global inequality. Many are struggling to survive while wealth accumulates in the hands of the few. Individuals belonging to minority groups are more likely to bear the burden of this inequality and suffer the most egregious losses. It is well-documented that for individuals who are racial ethnic minorities, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ community, and women from around the world, the experience of racism and discrimination is associated with poor health and mental health outcomes.
We, the Board of ACBS, are writing this statement to unequivocally oppose structural, cultural, and individual racism, racially motivated violence, hate speech and all forms of prejudice and oppression in evidence throughout the world. We invite our community of researchers, therapists, and helpers to look hard at the many ways in which racism manifests in the world at large. We ask that our scientific community bring to bear the significant strength of contextual behavioral science in shining a light and exploring solutions to discrimination and disparities. We encourage you to bring your compassion, your openness to discourse, and your willingness to stand for communities and people who are discriminated against all over the world.
It has been said that to be silent is to be complicit. We intend to use our voice to join others in creating change. With this in mind, we make the following statement on the events in the USA.
ACBS Board Statement regarding the problems in the USA
Although our members come from all over the world, we as the ACBS Board feel we cannot be silent and must speak about recent events in the United States, in particular. This past week, George Floyd was brutally killed, in the light of day, while distraught onlookers watched, by police officers sworn to protect, and who instead ignored his cries for mercy. This incident is emblematic of the unconscionable, cruel, and unjust losses the Black community has suffered in the U.S. due to individual, systemic, and structurally embedded racism.
Mr. Floyd is one of many Black people who have been killed in the U.S. as a result of racism and discrimination. Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Atatiana Jefferson, Stephon Clark, Jordan Edwards, Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland - the list of those killed without cause goes on and on, and is staggering in its implications. If you are Black and living in the U.S.A., you face a frighteningly high risk of being targeted and killed because of your race. If you are Black and living in the U.S.A. it may not be safe to go jogging, to go birding, to go to a coffee shop, to get pulled over, to stay home, or to demonstrate against racial inequity.
The people of the USA are living in what has aptly been called a “racism pandemic.” This pandemic has serious implications for the health of Black people and by extension, all of us. In addition to myriad negative economic consequences, racism is associated with poor outcomes in both physical health and psychological well-being. Parents raising Black children must send them into a world that is unsafe, unfair, and unjust. During the COVID-19 pandemic, data have revealed that Black and Hispanic communities have suffered greater losses during the than other groups due to underlying healthcare and socioeconomic disparities.
In recent days, we have seen international protests against the death of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality and racist violence. These protests have too often been met with displays of police aggression. Peaceful protesters have been physically assaulted with batons, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.
We, the Board of ACBS stand in solidarity with the Black community and all people of color, indigenous peoples, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, women, and individuals with minority status against all forms of individual, cultural, and systemic racism and discrimination. We add the voices of our organization to those who are calling for an end to racism, racial violence and police brutality in the United States and around the world. We acknowledge with heavy hearts the pain that the families and the communities of these victims are experiencing. We recognize the importance of reflecting on and ameliorating our own role in relation to perpetuating these issues, whether by action or inaction, and the importance of educating ourselves and others to address racism and inequality directly.
We know that this statement is not enough on its own and that this problem will continue if not addressed. We hope that our organization will be part of a collective voice that engages in sustained action demanding safety, justice, and peace for all.
- June 2, 2020
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ACBS Board of Directors
Dennis Tirch, President
Lisa Coyne, President-Elect
Louise Hayes, Past President
Maria Karekla, Secretary-Treasurer
Diana Ferroni Bast, Member at Large
Miranda Morris, Member at Large
Lance McCracken, Member at Large
Jill Stoddard, Member at Large
Varsha Eswara Murthy, Student Representative
You will find the Chinese translation of the ACBS Board statement here (thank-you to Houyuan Luo).