Noted Psychologist Brings Expertise to Commission.
Dr. Cheryl Grills, Ph.D.
New York – Dr. Ron Daniels, Convener of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), announced today that Dr. Cheryl Grills, Professor of Psychology at Loyola Marymount University, former national President of The Association of Black Psychologists, and Found/Director of a non-profit program evaluation organization called Imoyase Community Support Services, has been appointed to the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC). Dr. Grills is also a charter member of the milestone California Reparations Commission, the first statewide commission charged with “investigating the history of injustice and brutality against Black people, with a special consideration for African Americans who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.”
In accepting the appointment Dr. Grills made the following statement:
“I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams making reparations both a personal and professional matter. The work of unveiling, decolonizing and redressing the history of our enslavement and post enslavement oppression in America is long overdue. Doing the work of reparations brings several opportunities including helping us as Black people change how we as a community understand where we are (in the tapestry of American life), how we got here (interpreting our personal and collective stories), and where we want to go (unencumbered by the weight of racism and the anti-Black narrative that dominates this society). This is an all-hands-on deck call for ubuntu (community) and sawubona (truly seeing each other free of the lies of White superiority and Black inferiority). It is an honor to serve as a commissioner on the NAARC bringing the tools of psychology to the reparations discourse to ensure that our mental health and well-being as individuals and as a community are a central part of the process of repair.”
Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Inaugural Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies, Cal State, LA, and a NAARC Commissioner, welcomed Dr. Grills to the Commission: “I am delighted that Dr. Cheryl Grills will be joining NAARC as a Commissioner. Her expertise is an invaluable addition to our team. Enslavement has had myriad reverberations in contemporary life, from the wealth gap to health disparities to educational access. Though less frequently addressed, the psychological impacts of enslavement are also significant. Given her expertise and extensive background, I expect that Dr. Grills will help us address the psychological repair that must take place in our communities. I could not be more excited about this accomplished leader’s participation in NAARC”.
Ron Daniels said: “In addition to her expertise addressing the psychological aspects of the cross-generational trauma from enslavement, Dr. Grills’ role as Commissioner for the nation’s first state Reparations Commission in California will bolster NAARC’s standing as an authoritative body for the reparations movement.”
NAARC is comprised of a distinguished assembly of activists, scholars, civil rights, human rights, labor and faith leaders with outstanding experience, expertise and accomplishments in fields related to reparatory justice advocacy. The Commission has devised a 10 Point Reparations Program to serve as a guide and frame of reference for the growing reparations movement in the U.S.
