From the Beginning...
In 1999, leaders in the field of psychology came together in Newport Beach, CA, to address a pressing concern in the United States—the growing mental health needs of historically marginalized groups and disenfranchised individuals. Over two days, researchers, practitioners, scholars, and students discussed how psychology could better serve our diverse country and drafted proposals to address this need. It was a historic meeting that has grown into a biennial conference—the National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS)
Since that first NMCS, attendees have walked away from the NMCS with greater awareness, knowledge, and skills that they have been able to incorporate into their work. From hearing about research on the insidious dangers of covert racism to experiencing first-hand the effect of unintentional bigotry, the NMCS has served to remind us that psychologists must always be mindful of the impact of discriminatory environments and that we ourselves are not immune to discriminatory views.
It is the combined effect of learning and experiencing at the NMCS that has led to its growing success—from 300 attendees at the 1999 NMCS to over 900 attendees at the 2007 NMCS.
