In the past few months, tension has grown in America as the Black Lives Matter movement continues to call for justice to be served following police shootings. It is time that communities, law enforcement, national and local organizations, and policy makers work together to bring about change to address these injustices and systemic racism. In a recent interview, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for policy change to improve policies and address implicit biases among law enforcement. Implicit biases are unconscious negative attitudes and beliefs about a group of people. For example, an implicit bias among law enforcement may be that Black people are bad or violent. As a field, psychology has been involved in decades of research to understand implicit biases and how it impacts behavior. It is my belief that this knowledge must be used to serve as a change agent. There are several things that can be done to address racism and implicit biases among law enforcement. As a Black psychologist, I urge the American Psychological Association to utilize its research knowledge and policy efforts to continue advocating law makers to create legislation that will improve training for police officers and promote social justice efforts at local levels to help empower communities to combat discriminatory practices. Click here to read my complete post on Huffington Post. The Association of Black Psychologist - Supports Black Life Activism Follow Dr. Turner on twitter @DrEarlTurner
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AuthorDr. Turner is a licensed psychologist with expertise in behavioral pediatrics, child mental health, disruptive behavior disorders, and minority mental health. He is also certified as a National Register Health Service Psychologist. Archives
May 2017
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