Unmuted: Elevating Truth and Voice in Black Women’s Psychological Research

• In Event: Identity, Liberation and Counternarrativity Across Educative Spaces

Abstract

This talk centers the need for authenticity, truth-telling, and voice in psychological research on Black women. Historically, such research has marginalized Black women by relying on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) frameworks that erase cultural specificity and complexity. Drawing from Black feminist thought and lived experience, we critique traditional research and peer-review structures that silence or distort Black women’s realities. Instead, we highlight alternative dissemination strategies, such as #CiteASista, #SayHerName, inclusive textbooks, and community-based research, that center Black women’s truths. This conceptual talk calls for a shift in how research is designed, evaluated, and shared, arguing that elevating Black women’s voices is essential to creating psychologically valid, socially just, and culturally resonant research.

Authors

• Danielle Dickens, Spelman College

• Dionne P. Stephens, Florida International University