Welcome to Season 3, Episode 4, the season finale of the Strength in Solidarity podcast. This episode is especially meaningful, as it marks the grand finale of our series — a celebration of the stories, voices, and cross-racial/ethnic solidarity present within our community. Thank you so much for tuning in this far. Thank you for all the support, and we hope you continue to share our show in your communities as you continue to fight racism with cross-racial/ethnic solidarity towards being accomplices.
In this episode, we met with Dr. Kevin Cokley, past president of APA Division 45 [2022-2023], as he reflects on his presidential initiative, Fighting Racism with Cross-Racial/Ethnic Solidarity: Toward Being an Accomplice. Dr. Cokley highlights the work of the Cross-Racial/Ethnic Solidarity Task Force, and calls on Division 45 members to continue engaging in cross-racial/ethnic solidarity.
Kevin Cokley, Ph.D. is the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor and Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan where he serves as Associate
Chair for Diversity Initiatives and Primary Investigator of the RACE (Research on Race, Achievement, Culture, and Education) Lab in the Department of Psychology. Previously he was Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, where he held the Oscar and Anne Mauzy Regents Professorship for Educational
Research and Development. He has been a Fellow of the University of Texas System and University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers, past Director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis, and Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies.
His research and teaching can be broadly categorized in the area of African American psychology, with a focus on racial identity and understanding the psychological and environmental factors that impact African American students’ academic achievement. Dr. Cokley studies the psychosocial experiences of African American students and students of color and is currently exploring the impostor phenomenon and its relationship to mental health and academic outcomes.
He is the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Black Psychology, holds the title of Distinguished Psychologist and received the Scholarship Award from the Association of Black Psychologists.
He is past President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, and was elected to Fellow status in the American Psychological Association for his contributions to ethnic minority psychology and counseling psychology.
He is the recipient of the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the Charles and Shirley Thomas Award for mentoring ethnic minority students, and the 10 Rising Stars of the Academy award by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
He is author of the 2014 book “The Myth of Black Anti-Intellectualism” that challenges the notion that African American students are anti-intellectual, editor of the 2021 book “Making Black Lives Matter: Confronting Anti-Black Racism”, and editor of the 2024 book “The Impostor Phenomenon: Psychological Research, Theory, and Interventions.”
He has written several Op-Eds in major media outlets on topics such as defending DEI, critical race theory, Black Lives Matter movement, Blacks’ rational mistrust of police, racism and White supremacy, the importance of ethnic studies, and racial disparities in school discipline.
His research has been recognized in media outlets including the New York Times, USA Today, and Inside Higher Education.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Cokley