See the best of psychology at APA 2019

Dr. Rosie Phillips Davis

Wes Moore overcame challenges in his early life—living on what he calls the precipice of poverty in Baltimore and the Bronx—and turned the lessons learned from those obstacles into a life of inspiration for others.

Education shifted the trajectory of his life. He is an Afghanistan combat veteran who later became the first African American graduate of Johns Hopkins University to be named a Rhodes scholar. The day his hometown newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, published an article announcing the award, it also ran a story about another man named Wes Moore, on trial for a robbery during which a police officer was killed. This stunning contrast sparked Moore’s interest in how poverty, community and mentors can shape who we become.

Moore now serves as the CEO of Robin Hood, New York’s largest private poverty-fighting organization, exploring the challenges faced by those in underserved communities and the life-changing power of resiliency. As our keynote speaker at APA 2019, he will address how we can work together to move the needle on the critical societal issue of deep poverty—one of my presidential initiatives.

Members of APA’s Deep Poverty Working Group will also provide a closer look at how psychological science is being used to fight deep poverty. They’ll unveil the work they have done to help change the narrative, policies and practices around poor people, many of whom have been segregated and blamed for their poverty, to counter the phenomenon of blaming the victim. Please join us to learn how psychologists can get involved and help combat deep poverty. I’m immensely proud of and grateful to the working group chaired by Wendy Williams, PhD. Members include Blake Allen, PhD, Nia Bey-West, PhD, Heather Bullock, PhD, Roberta Downing, PhD, Mesmin Destin, PhD, Rashmita Mistry, PhD, graduate student Kanesha Moore, and APA’s Public Interest Directorate staff Keyona King-Tsikata, MPH, and Gabe Twose, PhD.

While at APA 2019, please also watch the winners of the PsycShorts video contest, the focus of my second presidential initiative. Designed to help the public understand that the discipline of psychology rests on a scientific foundation, each video communicates a finding from psychological science in a creative, informative way—and in two minutes or less. We received nearly 200 submissions from around the world and, in Chicago, we’ll showcase the best of the best.

In addition to attending these sessions, I encourage you to engage with prominent thought leaders as they share ideas and new findings that inspire action and address deep poverty and many other societal challenges. At APA 2019, become active in the conversation around the issues that matter.