May 4, 2012
Contact: Roslyn Caldwell
805-756-2686; rmcaldwe@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly to Host UNLV Psychology Professor for May 22 Talk on Racial Identity
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Psychologist, professor and author William E. Cross will present “The Trayvon Martin Tragedy and the Psychology of Being Black” from 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly.
Cross is a professor in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and creator of the seminal model of black racial identity development. He is the author of “Shades of Black,” one of the most frequently referenced texts on black identity.
His model conceptualizing the stages of black identity development has generated an ever-expanding number of essays, commentaries and empirical studies. In addition, his ideas have stimulated the growth of identity development models for application to a wide range of groups including gays and lesbians, Hispanic/Latinos, Asian Americans, feminists, and white European Americans.
Cross received the 2009 Annual Social Justice Action Award from the Teachers College at Columbia University. Georgia Southern University established the William Cross Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series as part of its annual conference on Cross-Cultural Issues in Counseling and Education, held each year in Savannah, Ga.
Cross has been selected to receive the Distinguished Elder Award at the 2013 National Multicultural Conference and Summit in Houston, Texas.
He earned a doctorate from Princeton University and has held positions in psychology and Africana studies at Cornell University, Penn State University, and the University of Massachusetts.
Cross’s presentation is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Psychology and Child Development Department, College of Liberal Arts' Lottery Speaker's Fund, Ethnic Studies Department, Black Faculty and Staff Association, and Student Life and Leadership.
For more information, contact Roslyn Caldwell, associate professor of psychology and child development, at 756-2686 or rmcaldwe@calpoly.edu.
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San Luis Obispo, California 93407