Programming

MISSION

The mission of the National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) is to convene students, scientists, scientists, practitioners, and educators in psychology and related fields to inform and inspire multicultural theory, research, and practice. We envision multiculturalism as inclusive of experiences related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, social class, age, and other social identities.

Theme and Objectives

Societal prejudice and discrimination continue to adversely affect the well-being of historically marginalized people. Although psychological scientists and practitioners are in a position to promote an understanding of cultural differences and to address pressing social issues, they often do so without communicating with each other. Consequently, psychology’s impact on advancing equitable and just treatment for all members of society is hindered.

We will address this impasse at the 2011 NMCS by focusing on the theme, “Unification through Diversity: Bridging Psychological Science and Practice in the Public Interest.” The goal will be to foster collaboration among psychological scientists and practitioners in order to promote the psychological well-being of historically marginalized people.

To this end, the NMCS will highlight key contributions from science and practice that have benefitted our diverse society and promoted human welfare.At the same time, we will acknowledge differences among psychologists that have acted as barriers in order to overcome these differences. By combining the resources of scientists and practitioners, psychology will benefit from scientifically-sound and culturally-sensitive theory, research, practice, and training, which in turn will benefit society.

To achieve this, the primary objectives for the 2011 NMCS are

  1. To showcase the unique strengths that scientists, practitioners, educators, and policy makers have to offer multicultural psychology.
  2. To engage in difficult dialogues regarding the tensions among psychologists that have challenged the advancement of multicultural psychology.
  3. To create an inclusive atmosphere of support and interpersonal connection by offering networking opportunities.
  4. To illuminate the work of pioneers in multicultural psychology and to honor their historical legacies.
  5. To facilitate collaboration between scientists and practitioners in order to combine theories, methodologies, techniques, and expertise that will impact education and public policy aimed at promoting human welfare.