University psychologists publish ‘framework’ to combat ‘systemic racism,’ ‘white supremacy’

A Western Michigan University professor has helped develop a research framework for psychologists wanting to undo the effects of “systemic racism” that he believes dominates American society. 

Western Michigan’s press release on Aug. 14 describes the framework for “cross-racial/ethnic solidarity research,” co-created by Dr. Samuel Beasley, as “a foundation for psychologists committed to dismantling systemic racism.” Researchers can use that foundation “to address the structural inequalities that perpetuate racial oppression,” according to the university. 

The study is titled “Mending fragile alliances to fight racism: A developing framework for cross-racial/ethnic solidarity.” It asserts that things like capitalism and colonialism cause “colonial splitting,” sowing division between “marginalized communities” and “mediating and moderating factors that can lead to either conflictual or coalitional cross-racial/ethnic tendencies.” The project is meant to “provide a foundation for research, training, clinical, and community work toward an interdisciplinary approach to cross-racial/ethnic solidarity accompliceship.”

[RELATED: Cal Poly Humboldt ‘Whiteness Accountability Space’ supposedly helps white people ‘confront racism’]

Beasley teaches as an associate professor at Western Michigan’s Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology. His research interests include “[p]redictors of academic outcomes among Black college students” and “[m]en of color in the professional psychology pipeline.”

Beasley’s partner in the project, Donna Demanarig, who goes by the pronouns “she/her/siya,” said that the framework is meant to combat white supremacy: “We hope that our cross-racial/ethnic solidarity framework will provide a foundation for psychologists who wish to challenge and dismantle the structure that upholds White supremacy through an interdisciplinary and social justice approach.”

Demanarig is an assistant teaching professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Her research interests include “[d]ecolonization of psychology” and “[m]ulticultural issues.” One of her current research activities is “[c]onservatism and colonial Mentality effects on mental health outcomes for Filipinx Americans.”

Demanarig told Campus Reform that the framework is “theoretical at the moment, providing a pathway that can either lead an individual towards coalitional or conflictual tendencies, and these tendencies - depending on moderating factors such as their level of appropriated racial oppression (or internalized racism), the social status of the group they belong to, among other contextual moderators we identified - this can lead an individual to certain outcomes (e.g., support/not support certain policies that lessen racial inequality such as Affirmative Action, their expression of prejudiced beliefs, their level of sympathy towards those who are suffering, and participation in activist work).” 

She continued: “Dismantling white supremacy, because it is deeply rooted in psychology - and every fabric of our society - will most likely not happen in my lifetime. We hope that our framework will at least dent this oppressive system and find ways for communities from various racial/ethnic groups to work together to ensure that the work/fight continues.” 

”Our framework is certainly not limited to the field of psychology. Other areas of discipline can utilize this - even community-led organizations. We are currently working on an empirical study to test the pathways of our framework, so it is beyond theoretical. We hope to apply this work in education, clinical training, research, and community-based work,” she concluded.

The project was published in American Psychologist, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) “flagship journal.” The APA is committed to pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles, and in 2023, it opposed the Supreme Court’s striking down of affirmative action in higher education, saying the decision would “worsen underrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups at higher education institutions.”

[RELATED: Yale to hold event series showing how ‘anti-racism’ efforts can be racist]

The framework developed by Beasley and Demanarig is not the only instance of racial identity politics influencing academic work in higher education. 

In March, the National Science Foundation gave $50,000 to a pair of researchers from Boise State University in Idaho to promote research into “white supremacist extremism.” The Foundation also issued an almost $9 million grant to study “blackness” in STEM in 2022, and $1 million to three universities to impose gender ideology in biology classes. 

Campus Reform contacted Western Michigan University, Samuel Beasley, and Donna Demanarig for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.