Liberation Now Ep 5: BIPOC Solidarity

In this episode, Dr. Helen Neville speaks with psychology professionals and healers about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) solidarity. B. Andi Lee, Amir Maghsoodi, and Briana Williams along with Drs. Hector Adames, Kevin Nadal, and Melissa Tehee share stories and insights about BIPOC solidarity in their lives, in professional settings, and in society. The conversation covers a range of topics including the importance of solidarity among BIPOC individuals and communities in fighting against White supremacy and other forms of oppression and in envisioning liberation.

More about the Panelists

Dr. Hector Y. Adames received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the APA accredited program at Wright State University in Ohio and completed his APA pre-doctoral internship at the Boston University School of Medicine’s Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP). Currently, he is a Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago Campus and the Co-Director of the IC-RACE Lab (Immigration Critical Race And Cultural Equity Lab). Dr. Adames has published several books including (1) Cultural Foundations and Interventions in Latinx Mental Health: History, Theory and within Group Differences published by Routledge Press, (2) Caring for Latinxs with Dementia in a Globalized world published by Springer, and (3) Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Practical Guide scheduled to be published by Wiley in June 2021. His research focuses on how socio-race, skin-color, colorism, and ethnic and racial group membership influence wellness. He has earned several awards including the 2018 Distinguished Emerging Professional Research Award from The Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, a Division of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Andi Lee (she/her) is a fourth-year doctoral student in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A healer-in-training and co-liberator in the Liberation Lab, her research centers belongingness and radical healing in Global Majority members, and she is seeking new ways to foster wellness and liberation for BIPOC.

Amir H. Maghsoodi, B.S., is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology (Division of Counseling Psychology) and Illinois Distinguished Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research centers broadly on identity development, meaning making, and sense of belonging, with a specific emphasis on how Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience and respond to threats to their belonging. Amir is also active in community work that promotes the mental health of BIPOC, and he develops and delivers psychoeducational workshops on cultural identity development and radical healing through various community partnerships. As an Iranian American immigrant, Amir is committed to serving the needs of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities. He is thus proud to be a member of the American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy), where he also serves on the Advocacy Committee. 

Dr. Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal is a Professor of Psychology at both John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Graduate Center at the City University of New York. He received his doctorate in counseling psychology from Columbia University in New York City and is one of the leading researchers in understanding the impacts of microaggressions, or subtle forms of discrimination, on the mental and physical health of people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people; and other marginalized groups. He has been featured in the New York Times, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, the Weather Channel, the History Channel, HGTV, Philippine News, and The Filipino Channel. He is the author of ten books including Filipino American Psychology (2011, Wiley); That's So Gay: Microaggressions and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community (2013, APA); Microaggressions and Traumatic Stress (2018, APA); and Queering Law and Order (2020, Lexington). He was the first openly gay President of the Asian American Psychological Association and the first person of color to serve as the Executive Director of the  Center for LGBTQ Studies. He is a National Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and a co-founder of the LGBTQ Scholars of Color National Network.

Dr. Melissa Tehee is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She is an assistant professor at Utah State University in the Department of Psychology, Director of the American Indian Support Project to train Native psychologists, and Assistant Director of the Mentoring and Encouraging Student Academic Success program for Native American students. Dr. Tehee’s research has focused on bias/prejudice/racism, health disparities, trauma, and holistic wellness of Native peoples. Her other interests include multicultural competence and mentoring ethnic minority students in higher education. She earned dual degrees in Clinical Psychology, Policy, and Law (Ph.D./J.D.) with a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Tehee has a Master’s from Western Washington University and a Bachelor’s from the University of Nebraska. 

Briana Williams (she, her) is a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She works with Dr. Neville and the Liberation Lab. Broadly speaking, she is interested in cultivating healing spaces that center the voices of Black and Africana people across sexuality and gender spectrums. As a graduate of a historically Black college, Claflin University, she aspires to return to an HBCU to provide clinical services that are rooted in Black culture and Queer and Trans affirmative practices. 

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Episode Credits:  

Music: Amir Maghsoodi 

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi 

Episode Editing: Helen Neville 

Episode Transcript: 

http://bit.ly/LibNowEp5