May 02, 2007
Honoring Joe White : Father of Black Psychology
Claytie Davis III, Ph.D., Susan E. Conner, Ph.D., Richard M. Lee, Ph.D., and Joseph L. White, Ph.D.
On May 10th, the University of Minnesota will award Dr. Joseph L. White with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Dr. White was born in Minneapolis in 1932 in the Seven Corners areas across from the University of Minnesota. He attended De la Salle HS, San Francisco State University, and later received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Michigan State University. He spent the majority of his academic career at the University of California, Irvine, where he is now Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry. Dr. White is considered the father of Black Psychology because of his pioneering 1970 article “Toward a Black Psychology� in Ebony Magazine. You can read his bio here and here.
I believe I first met Joe in 1998 at the APA Convention in San Francisco. I went up to the top floor of the downtown Marriott Hotel to meet some friends for a drink. Sitting at the bar, I struck up a conversation with Joe who was sitting at the next bar stool and drinking a white wine (his favorite). We hit it off immediately and soon we were buying each other drinks. Eventually, a group of Asian American psychologists and graduate students arrived. It turns out that Joe knew a few of these same friends. As the night wore on, music began to play on the dance floor. Joe has hustle moves and he soon hit the floor with the women. So, there we were -- me and Joe and about six Asian American women. He still kids me about that first meeting.
Funny enough, like many things in life, I had no idea that this man on the dance floor was the father of Black Psychology. Then, I learned that he was born and raised in Minneapolis but had never attended the University nor had he ever been invited to the University, despite his stature in the field. In April of 2001, he dropped me a line because he was going to Minneapolis to consult on the African American Men's Project. I seized on this opportunity to invite Joe to campus to give a talk. It was his first time back on campus (as a psychologist) since he left Minnesota as a young man. Amazing.
Well, fast forward a few more years and finally, finally the University will be honoring this famous son of Minneapolis.
Congratulations, Joe.
Posted by richlee at May 2, 2007 10:40 AM