Institute News and Updates
Welcome!
We wish to share with you information about the Institute's research and activities. Included below you will find links to various texts, videos, and sites, including our annual newsletters, which summarize the previous year's achievements. Please scroll down to learn more about our current Institute activities.
Also, view our annual Newsletters to learn about various projects and research by our Institute members.
ISPRC Newsletters
Each year we summarize the research and activities of the Institute. We invite you to view current and past accomplishments.
Dr. Janet Helms receives the American Psychological Foundation's 2019 Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest
Read about this prestigious award here.
The Committee on Psychology in the Public Interest Awards, along with the American Psychological Foundation, has awarded Janet Helms, PhD the 2019 Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest Award. The awards committee considered a whole range of criteria submitted (i.e., the supporting statement, letters of support and curriculum vitae) before voting to distinguish this nominee. The APF then approved this decision. Dr. Janet Helms was recognized at the 2019 American Psychological Association conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Janet E. Helms at the APA award ceremony with members of the ISPRC Advisory Board
Dr. Helms Addresses ACBS World Conference
Dublin Ireland, June 2019
The Power Dynamics of White Racial Identity in Social Interactions
To the right are a few of the reactions captured during her talk
A Race is a Nice Thing to Have - Third Edition
Dr. Janet E. Helms's book has become a must for all of us. Insightful, powerful, and to the point. The book is enriched with many practical exercises leading to insight and meaningful class discussions. Purchase Dr. Helms's updated book: A Race in a Nice Thing to Have: A Guide to Being a White Person or Understanding the White Persons in Your Life.
Dr. Janet E. Helms Recipient of Two Prestigious 2018 APA Awards
Two separate divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) have selected Dr. Janet E. Helms as the recipient of prestigious awards based on her longstanding work and long term contributions to counseling psychology and in the field of race and culture. These awards were presented at the 2018 Annual APA Convention in San Francisco in August. Read more about these achievements in a Boston College news article.
Lifetime Achievement Award - Society for the Psychological Studies of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (Division 45)
For outstanding contributions over the course of her career in the promotion of ethnic minority issues
Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring - Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17)
For her career contributions to Counseling Psychology via excellence in mentoring
Lifetime Achievement Award - Div. 45
Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award - Div. 17
Dr. Helms Receives 2017 Human Rights Award
Dr. Janet E. Helms was honored by the Newton Human Rights Commission for having demonstrated exceptional dedication to the issue of human rights in the community. The award was presented by Mayor Setti D. Warren in a public ceremony honoring those who have demonstrated consistent, ongoing work in the field of human rights. Dr. Helms was nominated by Newton Police Officer, Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker.
Insights from Dr. Janet E. Helms
An Election to Save White Heterosexual Male Privilege
White heterosexual male privilege (WHMP) fought for and won the election of 2016. WHMP is buttressed by racism, but is not racism. Racism and ethnoviolence are longstanding tools for maintaining WHMP, but in this election era, misogyny and anti-femininity, Islamophobia, homophobia, and Antisemitism became additional tools—but they too are not WHMP.
Or view as published in Latina/o Psychology Today (LPT)
ISPRC ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE
#RACIALTRAUMAISREAL TOOLKIT
Having witnessed multiple police killings of Black men and women either directly or vicariously through media accounts, communities of Color may experience post-trauma symptoms. ISPRC has released a toolkit for managing symptoms at #racialtraumaisreal.
#racialtraumaisreal is available to download*
*This toolkit has been created by Boston College - Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture and is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International document. Use the following reference to cite this manuscript / infographic:
Jernigan, M. M., Green, C. E., Perez-Gualdron, Liu, M. M, Henze, K. T., Chen, C….Helms, J. E. (2015).#racialtraumaisreal. Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture, Chestnut Hill, MA. Retrieved from: www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/schools/Lynch School_sites/isprc/pdf/racialtraumaisrealManuscript.pdf
Racial Trauma Is Real
Dr. Janet Helms recently presented at Boston College's Lunch and Learn Series. Hosted by the Office for Institutional Diversity, these talks are given with the purpose of initiating conversations related to diversity in an informal, safe environment for faculty and staff. The title of her talk, "Having a Conversation about Racial Trauma," used racial identity models to understand one's reaction to racial trauma. The variety of acts of violence against people of color and/or immigrant status in our society causes one to wonder how to recognize traumatic reactions and have or not have conversations about race. Her presentation, Racial Trauma, is now available. Further information including Racism Recovery Steps and the #racialtraumaisreal Toolkit are also available.
DR. JANET E. HELMS RECEIVES ELIZABETH HURLOCK BECKMAN AWARD
Janet E. Helms, PhD, is the recipient of the prestigious 2011 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award. The award was created to benefit current or former academic faculty members who have inspired their students to create an organization which has benefitted the community at large.
US SUPREME COURT RULING
Dr. Janet E. Helms was cited as a witness against the inappropriate use of promotional tests in the Supreme Court's ruling in the case of Ricci v. DeStafano.
Racial Identity Scales
Racial Identity Theory
- Revision and norming of Black Racial Identity and White Racial Identity Scales.
- Development of People of Color Racial Identity Scale
- Racial Identity group interactions
- Strategies for assessing Racial Identity