Affinity groups contribute to academic success through several means: enhancing recruitment and retention (particularly among individuals with diverse backgrounds who belong to underrepresented groups in academia), and helping to demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Affinity groups can serve as advisors to faculty and staff in addition to consumer physical and mental health policy, intervention and outreach. Finally, they can also inform administration in its recruitment and retention efforts and can help promote inclusive scholarship and mentoring programs.
Women of Color Psychology Faculty Collective
The Women of Color Psychology Faculty Collective (WCPFC) has been meeting since 9/2020. We would like to reach out to you to obtain your thoughts and support about establishing our group as a standing committee. We propose that the committee be under the auspices of the Assistant Vice Chair, Faculty Development-Diversity and Inclusion. Our proposed organizational structure would be: Chair, Vice Chair, & Secretary and follow APA guidelines (e.g. officer terms, turn over). Our mission and vision are as follows:
Mission
The Women of Color Psychology Faculty Collective (WOCPFE) is a group of psychologists at Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences formed with the intention of providing a platform for dialogue, collaboration, support, advocacy, and solidarity for Women of Color (WOC) interests in academia. This collaborative advocates for the advancement of WOC through mentoring, community engagement, project collaboration, training, professional development and financial intelligence. As a collective, we work toward equity, inclusion, and empowerment of WOC in academia by supporting and advocating for each other and those in our community. We are committed to educating the public, fighting prejudice and stigma and lifting the voices of WOC.
Our Vision Within this Collective
- To fellowship in Sisterhood
- To create a network that embraces the value of Ubuntu (I am because you are): to share resources and opportunities
- To provide a safe community to live out mission and values
- To celebrate, support and solidify the place of WOC in academia
- To foster relationships and growth of WOC from high school to early career
- To support WOC defined more broadly and specifically across the country
- To increase leadership, promotion, retention, and mentorship of WOC in academia
- Provide a supportive space to talk about issues that impact WOC in academia
- To provide a space that embraces diverse cultural perspectives and explore how that informs our work as women and POC
- Create opportunities for women of color and to create a pipeline of mentors and females beginning their careers in academia
- To identify and reduce barriers for WOC in academia
- To reduce disparities and gaps for WOC in academia (e.g. leadership, promotion, compensation, funding)