The Black Scholar Series: Dr. Helen Neville

Dr. Helen Neville

Sessions: REGISTER HERE
Thursday, April 17, 2025

Main Lecture: 10:00–11:30 AM CST
Special Session: 12:30–1:30 PM CST

 

Helen A. Neville is the interim head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, a professor of Educational Psychology and African American Studies, and a Center for Advanced Studies Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17) and the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (APA Division 45) and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. She is active in the Association of Black Psychologists, having served on their Board of Directors and receiving their Distinguished Psychologist award. Her research on race, racism, and African American psychology has been published in a wide range of journal articles and she has co-edited 8 books in this area. She enjoys teaching, life-long learning and fighting for social justice.

Main Lecture: Radical Hope and Healing Among Black Americans

The enduring legacy of racism has profoundly shaped the lived experiences of Black Americans, necessitating innovative approaches to healing and well-being. This presentation explores the concept of radical hope as a critical framework for addressing racial trauma and fostering resistance and healing within Black communities. Grounded in liberation psychology and decolonial thought, radical hope emphasizes the belief in a just future despite systemic inequities and its practice is healing and is associated with the cultivation of joy, connection, and agency in the present. New findings from the Radical Hope Scale project will be outlined and implications for research, training, and practice shared.

 

Special Session: Personal and Collective Joy During Uncertain Times: Measurement and Practical Considerations

This special session introduces a measure of collective joy and reviews findings connecting personal and collective joy to wellbeing among People of Color. Future research directions will be discussed, and attendees will be invited to reflect on practical strategies to cultivate joy in the current moment.