{"id":296034,"date":"2025-05-26T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=296034"},"modified":"2025-05-25T04:38:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T03:38:02","slug":"pursuing-peace-with-justice-five-years-after-the-murder-of-george-floyd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/05\/pursuing-peace-with-justice-five-years-after-the-murder-of-george-floyd\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuing Peace with Justice: Five Years after the Murder of George Floyd"},"content":{"rendered":"

This statement was approved by the Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence on 20 May 2025. It does not represent the position of the American Psychological Association or any of its other Divisions or sub-units.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

********************************<\/p>\n

Recognizing that the concerns expressed here are not unique to peace psychologists alone, our Society welcomes support and endorsement of this statement from other\u00a0American Psychological Association divisions and allied groups.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

25 May 2025 marks five years since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That public act of violence \u2014 a white police officer\u2019s knee on the neck of a handcuffed Black man lying face down in the street for nine long minutes \u2014 stunned and mobilized advocates for racial justice and for law enforcement accountability across the United States. The video images broadcast that day on national television will remain forever etched in the minds of many Americans.<\/p>\n

But, as psychologists, we know that it was not solely one racist police officer or one racism-stained police department that cost Mr. Floyd his life.[1]\u00a0Responsibility also lies with the centuries-old inequitable blueprint of this country, one that too often continues to harm, re-traumatize, disrespect, and disregard Black life.[2]\u00a0As a recent American Psychological Association (APA) resolution documents, these widespread inequities \u201cresult from laws, systems, policies, practices, and cultural narratives that reflect racial bias and White supremacist ideology.\u201d[3]<\/p>\n

Despite the mass protests and the countless pledges of change from our national leaders that characterized the spring and summer of 2020, policing and the courts in this country have continued to function in ways that target Black communities. In the fall of 2023, a United Nations committee focused on racial justice in the context of law enforcement issued a damning report after an official country visit to the United States. Among their disturbing findings were these: Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to be killed by police, to be incarcerated, and to receive the death penalty; only 1% of the officers involved in police killings are charged with wrongdoing; U.S. use-of-force regulations do not meet international standards; and many prisoners are subjected to forced labor, a contemporary form of slavery.[4]<\/p>\n

Even more concerning, we have witnessed a distressing escalation during the first months of the new presidential administration in Washington, further threatening\u00a0the life prospects of Black Americans and other vulnerable communities. Executive orders have been issued to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs;[5]\u00a0to gut the Department of Education;[6]\u00a0to diminish voting rights protections and civil rights enforcement;[7]\u00a0to indemnify law enforcement personnel from prosecution;[8]\u00a0to mandate changes to official annals of U.S. institutions in order to erase the country\u2019s ugly history of racism;[9]\u00a0to reverse efforts to combat climate change that disproportionately affects Black communities;[10]\u00a0and to facilitate the greater use of capital punishment.[11]<\/p>\n

As psychologists, we recognize that manifestations and consequences of racism extend far beyond the all too frequent newsworthy instances of ruthless brutality.[12]\u00a0They also include chronic stress, daily fear and insecurity, racialized myths and toxic internalized messages, disenfranchised grief, and a growing distrust of our institutions. These are real psychological harms that carry across generations. Indeed, the APA has emphasized that racism, in all its forms, has \u201cdestructive psychological, social, educational, and economic effects on human rights and human welfare throughout the lifespan.\u201d[13]<\/p>\n

Remembering George Floyd must mean more than hashtags. It should mean staying vigilant, staying honest, and staying involved \u2014 especially when the stakes are high and even when the possibility of backlash is strong.\u00a0Driven by science and by conscience, psychologists must be part of a renewed vanguard, consistent with\u00a0the APA\u2019s call for members of our profession \u201cto support and advocate for populations at risk of human rights violations, including marginalized populations both domestically and globally.\u201d[14]<\/p>\n

Toward these ends, we should openly acknowledge and actively campaign against the painful realities of white supremacy, of state violence, and of structural racism, including the trauma it causes and the healing it impedes.\u00a0Let us heed the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. from decades ago: \u201cTrue peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney\u2019s Office District of Minnesota Civil Division. (2023).\u00a0Investigation of the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/d9\/press-releases\/attachments\/2023\/06\/16\/minneapolis_findings_report_2023.06.15_0.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0See, for example,\u00a0American Psychological Association. (2021).\u00a0Role of Psychology and the American Psychological Association in Dismantling Systemic Racism Against People of Color in the United States<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/resolution-dismantling-racism.pdf<\/a>;\u00a0Buchanan, N. T., Perez, M., Prinstein, M. J., & Thurston, I. B. (2021). Upending racism in psychological science: Strategies to change how science is conducted, reported, reviewed, and disseminated.\u00a0American Psychologist<\/em>,\u00a076<\/em>(7), 1097\u20131112.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/amp0000905<\/a><\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0American Psychological Association. (2021).\u00a0Apology to People of Color for APA\u2019s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S.<\/em>\u00a0https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/resolution-racism-apology.pdf<\/a>; see also\u00a0Alvarez, A. N., Liang, C. T. H., & Neville, H. A. (Eds.). (2016).\u00a0The Cost of Racism for People of Color: Contextualizing Experiences of Discrimination<\/em>.\u00a0American Psychological Association.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/14852-000<\/a><\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0United Nations. (2023).\u00a0A\/HRC\/54\/CRP.7: International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement \u2014 Visit to the United States of America<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/documents\/country-reports\/ahrc54crp7-international-independent-expert-mechanism-advance-racial<\/a>; see also\u00a0National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023).\u00a0Reducing\u00a0Racial Inequality in Crime and Justice: Science, Practice, and Policy<\/em>.\u00a0The National Academies Press.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17226\/26705<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0Donald Trump. (January 20, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0Donald Trump. (March 20, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]\u00a0Donald Trump. (March 25, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order: Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections\/<\/a>; Donald Trump. (April 23, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/04\/restoring-equality-of-opportunity-and-meritocracy\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]\u00a0Donald Trump. (April 28, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Strengthening and Unleashing America\u2019s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/04\/strengthening-and-unleashing-americas-law-enforcement-to-pursue-criminals-and-protect-innocent-citizens\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]\u00a0Donald Trump. (March 27, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[10]\u00a0Donald Trump. (January 20, 2025). Executive Order: Declaring A National Energy Emergency.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/declaring-a-national-energy-emergency\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]\u00a0Donald Trump. (January 20, 2025).\u00a0Executive Order:\u00a0Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety.\u00a0https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/01\/restoring-the-death-penalty-and-protecting-public-safety\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[12]\u00a0See, for example, American Psychological Association. (2021).\u00a0APA Resolution\u00a0on Harnessing Psychology to Combat Racism: Adopting a Uniform Definition and Understanding<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/resolution-combat-racism.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[13]\u00a0American Psychological Association. (2021).\u00a0Apology to People of Color for APA\u2019s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/resolution-racism-apology.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[14]\u00a0American Psychological Association. (2021).\u00a0APA Resolution on APA, Psychology, and Human Rights<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/policy\/resolution-psychology-human-rights.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

_______________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Roy Eidelson is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/em><\/a> and was a member of the American Psychological Association for over 25 years, prior to his resignation. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of <\/em>Eidelson Consulting<\/em><\/a>, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of <\/em>Psychologists for Social Responsibility<\/em><\/a>, former executive director of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, and a member of the <\/em>Coalition for an Ethical Psychology<\/em><\/a>. Roy is the author of <\/em>Political Mind Games: How the 1% Manipulate Our Understanding of What\u2019s Happening, What\u2019s Right, and What\u2019s Possible<\/a> and can be reached at <\/em>reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recognizing that the concerns expressed here are not unique to peace psychologists alone, our Society welcomes support and endorsement of this statement from other\u00a0American Psychological Association divisions and allied groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":110813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[2755,70],"class_list":["post-296034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-american-psychological-association-apa","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296034"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":296035,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296034\/revisions\/296035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}