Index
· TEACHING FROM A MULTICULTURAL STANCE
· REPORT ON THE PROGRAM EVALUATION - FIRST ANNUAL MEETING, NETWORK FOR MULTICULTURAL TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGY, INC., JUNE 14, 1997
· LETTERS
· An Open Letter to CMTP Alumni and Other Members of the CMTP Network:
· BOARD MINUTES - MAY 31, 1996
· BOARD MINUTES - AUGUST 9, 1996
· BOARD MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 13, 1996
· DID YOU KNOW....
· REPORT ON THE NOVEMBER 8, 1996, FIRST GATHERING

TEACHING FROM A MULTICULTURAL STANCE

We all know that! Multicultural fatigue among white undergraduates - An exchange between Alice LoCicero, Rivier College, and David Trimble, Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology

Alice: Acting on a promise to myself, I have become more vocal in my advocacy for diversity in hiring and student recruitment in my department (the department of education at Rivier College in Nashua, NH). My colleagues are interested in this course of action. My ideas have met with little resistance, (though neither have they, as yet, led to changes in procedures or policies.) My outspoken stance has, however, led to the informal designation of my mailbox as the repository for catalogs, examination copies and articles addressing issues of diversity and multiculturalism. I can thus verify that the present state of available materials may be readily (and conservatively) defined as "plentiful." Daily, I receive an average of three to four catalogs from various filmmakers and publishers announcing new texts and videos for kindergarten through graduate school. Reviewing these materials could easily become a full?time occupation.
Does this indicate that multiculturalism is an idea whose time has come? Are students, then, learning what they need to know to teach, work and live in a diverse society? Or is the sheer number of catalogs simply a grotesque reminder that any idea, once commercialized, takes on a fad?like quality which will, ultimately, kill it with kindness. I suspect the answer is, "Both." Students are learning more about living in a society which is pluralistic. They also, it seems, believe, by the time they are undergraduates,that they have had enough. They are tired of multiculturalism. More important, and possibly more worrisome, many students believe that since they have learned about cultural pluralism, they are automatically among the non?racist, non?oppressive, non?discriminating segment of white society which would not do anything ill?willed, unfair or oppressive. They should, they believe, be above suspicion. They are the educated generation. It is those past, ignorant white people who have been racist. Not them. Since they have studied multiculturalism over and over??too much, in fact, they believe??they deserve to be anointed as among the good guys. When they read about racist incidents, many students react with surprise.
Some recent comments by students reading about encounters reflective of obvious racism include, "I can't believe that would happen in the 90s!" "I can't believe how ignorant she is." and "I can't believe a professional would act like that." When I first heard such comments, I was pleased that students were saying that the incidents were horrifying. Over time, however, I realized that those comments are more complex. They do contain some shock, but more importantly, they contain the seeds of distancing. The incidents are being designated as odd, marginal, anachronistic, out of the daily reality of our enlightened world. The students say, "I would never have done that." "None of us would act that way, today." "We've been educated about these things." When they read about more subtle incidents, which appear to be racially tinged, many students feel justified in pronouncing that the storyteller is simply overemphasizing race, is obsessed with race, thinks every incident is about race, thinks about race too much. They, the white students, by contrast, don't think about race: "Race isn't a big deal to us," and "I didn't know they [people of color] still felt this was such a big issue."
Given the amount of material designated as "multicultural" I receive and the number of workshops I see advertised, for counselors, professors, teachers, students, I am not surprised that my students already feel they have had enough. They may understand quite a bit about pluralism, and I don't think they believe in the melting pot as the ideal image for the US. What I think they do not yet understand or recognize, let alone take responsibility to change, is the reality of contemporary, institutionalized power relations between and among racial and ethnic groups. Learning about those things is, in my continuing experience as learner and as teacher with white privilege, uncomfortable cognitively and emotionally. I believe that some element of discovering for oneself must be part of such learning. And I do not think the mainstream materials available are likely to help my students with that.

David: Through the several drafts of our joint writing, I again confront inescapable dilemmas of race and privilege as I, a white man, collaborate with a white woman. I draw on my multiple privileges, with their attendant credibility, to raise issues of power so that they can be heard by others who hold privilege. How can I be accountable for reproducing my privilege in the process?
My first reactions to Alice's words embodied righteous certainty about the phenomena she described. Of course, packaged multicultural education ignores issues of racism, power, and oppression. What else to expect from a commodified entity which, by its nature, embodies and supports an unjust political and economic order? Radical critical deconstruction of the oppressive, exploitive social order which racism helps to maintain is fundamentally contradictory to decontextualized, denatured, "multicultural education," promoted with literature produced by skilled copy writers for sale in a capitalist marketplace. The selling of "multiculturalism without pain" promotes complacency and reinforces racial privilege. Yet...decades of struggle to develop cultural competence as a white man have taught me that the tones of my own righteousness provide ready disguise for my own participation in privilege. When I can catch myself solving problems with self-soothing rhetorical certainty, I seek for painful dilemmas, which require reflection and defy solution. The issues Alice raises embody a challenge for any progressive social struggle: How do we respond to the ways that socially progressive and transformative ideas, born from protest against oppression, become assimilated into social reproduction of that oppression? This example is particularly painful, as ignorance of one's racial privilege is such a pernicious, and psychologically destructive, feature of white racism. Yet, multicultural education is better than the unexamined, hegemonic white supremacy which preceded it (and which conservative activists strive so mightily to restore). As Alice says, "I suspect the answer is, 'Both...'"
I believe that whites should be taught about multiculturalism from a stance which respects the progressive, socially critical origins of the idea. For a white person to be culturally competent, I believe, s/he must be able to come to terms with race. Race is a social construction, a set of recursive, formative relationships among psychological experience, development, and identity, and violent interpersonal, social, cultural, and institutional processes. No individual (whether from dominant or targeted racial groups) is free of race, if by "free" we mean, able to disengage from processes of social reproduction of race. We can strive for conscious reflection on our participation in these processes, which enables some choice about how to conduct that participation. In this country, white privilege is inescapable. It is embodied in social practices which enable the white person to insist on denying the fact of privilege in the very act of exercising that privilege over others. The ease with which one may remain unaware of one's race and its attendant privilege is intrinsic to whiteness. This psychological luxury is unavailable to members of targeted groups. The social arrangements of race enable white people to participate in the social reproduction of racism, while seeing themselves as decent, caring, empathic, and fair. These are hard truths, not the stuff of trendy training packages.
Some say that the greatest obstacle to anti-racism training for whites is the refusal to relinquish privilege. I believe that "disintegration" (Helms, 1990), is more daunting. Because blindness to itself is integral to racial privilege, educating the privileged evokes pain, confusion, and feelings of incoherence. Once whites develop awareness of their privilege, many (not all!) are moved to relinquish unfair advantage, only to discover that they cannot. One has no more choice about bearing the social attribution, "white," and therefore having advantage, than one has choice about being a member of a targeted group, and therefore having disadvantage. The lesson continues, into conscious strategies to remain accountable for responding to the social processes which afford racial privilege, regardless of the white individual's values and intentions.
Because my privilege makes me less vulnerable, there is relatively less risk in the choice of compassion over righteousness. Respecting the personal disruption that this work engenders, I can support whites through arduous processes of self-discovery and confrontation with horrors of social oppression previously hidden behind protective walls of unconscious privilege. As a white man, I can comfort whites in their pain, without entering the trap such work presents for people of color, "taking care of white people" once again, even while leading them into awareness of the white privilege in which such caretaking is embodied. I must attend to my stance, as I help white students develop their own, from which they will take responsibility for their (and my) inescapable dilemma: A white person's objections to his/her racial privilege cannot interrupt the mechanisms of social reproduction which continuously afford him/her that privilege. Education for cultural competence can never be contained in a single course, class, or training experience, and requires, with proper preparation and followup, encounters across racial differences. Multicultural education packages can be useful in the work, as long as their treatments of power and privilege are deconstructed.
When doing my best at this enterprise, I rediscover fundamentals of teaching I observed in my own best teachers. Learning is a passionate enterprise, and an uncomfortable one. Leaving certainty behind, students make discoveries which they can understand only by surrendering previously unquestioned beliefs. They endure experiences of incoherence as they strive to make new sense of the world. With effort, perseverance, and courage, new learning is consolidated, restoring coherence, which now incorporates the previously unknown, as well as the history of personal transformation which made new knowledge possible. How did (and do) my own teachers nurture this process in me? By making me uncomfortable at the same time that they held me, firmly and reassuringly, in our relationship; by encouraging me as they challenged me; by showing me that they expected me to tolerate pain and confusion, as, with compassion and respect, they witnessed my struggle.
These reflections remind me of the rewards of the struggle for cultural competence. Cultural competence is competence at being human; lessons learned across racial, gender, class, and other power differences apply to every encounter between persons. Learning cultural competence is learning at its most profound: risky, arduous, and transformative. Genuine racial awareness is intrinsically generative, as consciousness offers the promise of emergent human understanding.
Helms, Janet E., 1990. Black and white racial identity: Theory, research, and practice. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, p.58.

Alice: I continue to be uncomfortable with the possibility that these comments suggest that we have "arrived" at some adequate level of cultural competence, some anti?biased state of consciousness, of awareness and freedom from participating in oppression. That we somehow think we are not racist, not oppressive, not unconscious. To the extent that we think that, we may simply reproduce what I am observing in my students, albeit at a different level of awareness. For example, are we (by contrast with the multicultural curriculum designers) members of a more enlightened, non?racist group?
Daily, I see evidence that I understand better than some, less well than others, about racism and other biases. Of course this raises the question: How can I presume to teach others what I am in the process of learning myself? Some of the teachers I like and admire best would answer,"There is no better way to teach." It is a pedagogical model that works for me in this area. Students seek information and report back on it. I am occasionally as surprised as they at what they find. We try to make sense of it together. It is different from the model you describe, but it seems to work for me and my students.

REPORT ON THE PROGRAM EVALUATION - FIRST ANNUAL MEETING, NETWORK FOR MULTICULTURAL TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGY, INC., JUNE 14, 1997

The Annual Meeting convened at the Conference Room at Boston Medical Center. In attendance were Acting President Leon Nicks, Treasurer Melvin Rosenthal, Clerk David Trimble, Directors Cathy Wong and Kermit Crawford, and CMTP Director Herbert Joseph.
The meeting included a formal Presidential Report on the Progress of the Organization, from Dr. Nicks, as follows:
Thank you for this opportunity to provide a generally positive report on the status of our new organization. As you are aware, NMTP, Inc. has a rather broad mission statement in that it anticipates that we would further the competent practice of multicultural psychology through a variety of strategies such as (1) education, (2) training, (3) research, (4) consultation, (5) dissemination of expert knowledge, (6) public advocacy, and (7) fund raising to provide scholarships, fellowships and grants in aid. This latter strategy while listed last, is considered our highest priority.
It will probably take us a few years to fully implement all of these activities but we have made a good start during this first year of operation which by the way is an 18 month year, December, 1995 to June, 1997, given our odd incorporation date and our wish to have a more traditional organizational date. What have we accomplished ? Well we have:
1. Obtained legal status as a non?profit entity in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and are in good standing,
2. Secured federal tax status from the IRS as a public charity for a five year provisional period without conditions. This means that all membership dues and other contributions are fully tax deductible!
3. Developed a Board of Directors and Officers composed of the incorporators of the new organization.
4. Established the mission statement and bylaws for NMTP, Inc. along with logo and stationery.
5. Development of other aspects of the infrastructure of the new organization to include establishment of the committee structure required by the bylaws and we have in place a membership and a newsletter committee but need to enhance development of our finance committee,
6 Initiation of fund raising activities,
7. Conducted an informal organizational meeting in November,1996, with a presentation on the culturally competent practice of psychology. This meeting included solicitation of memberships and mobilization and orientation of new members,
8. Membership solicitation to Network members and CMTP alumni through available mailing lists and thru two issues of the NMTP Newsletter, "NMTP Notes,"
9. Provided sponsorship support for the 1996 Conference of the Graduate Students for Multiculturalism in Mental Health.
10. Established procedures for the election of two new board members who will be announced and installed later in this meeting.
11. Mabel Lam, Shani Dowd and Alice LoCicero have agreed to constitute a working committee on consultation and education to develop policies and procedures for NMTP to offer consultation and education services on the practice of culturally competent psychology.
We have two related problem areas that will prevent our reaching the ambitious plans for scholarships for this year. The first is the need for an active fundraising committee. The second is the need for a more aggressive membership drive, since memberships was our major fundraising strategy for our first year of operation. You will hear more about these issues in the reports from the Treasurer and the Membership Committee. Our ambitious plans called for the support of two interns in the coming year. That is not now feasible but we are encouraged by the news of Boston University Medical School Department of Psychiatry's generous increase in compensation for the 1997?98 internship year and Dr. Ciraulo's support of NMTP's initial goal of increasing the number as well as the amount of compensation of CMTP interns.
Another area of deviation from our original planning is the separation of this first annual meeting from CMTP's 25th Anniversary and Reunion Program due to our legal requirements to hold the NMTP annual meeting at this time and the difficult logistics of holding the 25th Anniversary Conference prior to October, 1997. However, NMTP will provide strong support to the anniversary celebration.
Finally, we applaud all those who have made NMTP, Inc. a reality, including Dr. Joseph, Cynthia Martin and other members of the CMTP staff, to Bobbi Brickhouse who served as NMTP's first president, to other members of the incorporation planning committee Gene Givens, Mike Rosenthal, Kermit Crawford, Adriana Rodriquez, David Trimble and Allen Brown, to Mike Rossi for his compilation of mailing lists, to the BMC establishment. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this.
Following the Presidential Report, Dr. Rosenthal reported the following account balances as of May 30, 1997: We have $217.71 in our checking account, and $2,686.48 in our savings account. Expenditures totalling $1,660.32 have included monthly bank fees, filing fees for nonprofit status, postage and printing (including 2 issues of Network Notes), November, 1996, gathering, and June, 1997, Annual Meeting. NMTP donated $100 in support of the Conference of the Graduate Students for Multiculturalism in Mental Health.
NMTP's current membership includes 34 Fellows, 10 Student Members, 3 Community Members, and 4 Organizational Members.
Dr. Trimble praised the hardworking Newsletter Committee (Dr. Terri Betts, Dr. Kathleen Gibney, Dr. Merlin Langley, and Dr. Alice LoCicero), who have produced and distributed two issues of Network Notes. The newsletter mailing list, derived from a multitude of Network sources, primarily the compilation by Dr. A. Michael Rossi, includes more than 330 addresses.
Welcoming newly-elected Director Catherine Wong, we embarked on an extensive, productive conversation, celebrating our achievements, evaluating our direction, and coming up with a significant change in our strategy for the next Program year.
We searched for strategic direction to hasten our progress toward granting substantial funds toward the training of culturally competent psychologists. Dr. Crawford's experience with the Multicultural Mental Health Research Center proved to be invaluable for our conversation. MMHRC, a relatively small organization, has been successful in its financial growth through its commitment to securing remunerative work for the members of its constituency, thus strengthening identification with and commitment to the organization. Members of the natural community of MMHRC find opportunities for participation in meaningful work consistent with the organization's mission. MMHRC generates funds from grants, including substantial grants from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, and by acting as a clearinghouse for delivery of professional services, primarily training. A significant portion of the fees paid by clients for training goes to MMHRC.
Conceptualization: Our conversation turned to conceptualization, marketing, and implementation.
Throughout North America, we have professionals with substantial expertise in culturally competent psychological practice. We articulated the domains of expertise located among members of the Network, as follows:
The broad domain of multicultural counseling, conceived as "culturally competent skilled conversation," includes not just psychotherapy, but human services in criminal and civil courts, probation, police and public safety, schools, medical care, social services, critical incident and crisis response, corporate human resources and personnel management, and professional education and training. Culturally competent communication and understanding are needed as well in domains of alternative dispute resolution (e.g., mediation and arbitration) and of program evaluation.
With our substantial collective and individual expertise, members of the Network can provide education, training, and consultation to clients who need to develop cultural competence in multicultural counseling, alternative dispute resolution, program evaluation, etc.
Marketing: With members of the Network now widely located throughout the U.S., NMTP could organize regional groupings to respond to referrals generated anywhere.
Dr. Crawford was, as is his wont, passionate and eloquent in leading us out of certain self-limiting constructions as we envisioned marketing our services. He challenged a tendency toward "shame-based pricing" of our services, perhaps an unintended effect of the volunteer tradition of "the Program," as well as of internalized oppression among Network members who have struggled throughout our careers with dominant culture marginalization. The MMHRC experience in marketing the training services of its associates is, first, to establish the associate's reasonable fee for services, then to increase that fee so that both the associate and MMHRC realize income appropriate to the value of the specialized services.
In response to expressions of concern about entering a marketplace in which "multiculturalism" has, at least for now, become a commodity in demand, Dr. Crawford made it clear that there is more than enough work to go around, and that what the Network has to offer, in the form of culturally competent psychological skills, has its niche in the domains described above. Rather than a competitive marketplace, he spoke of a collaborative community, in which sharing and solidarity are the dominant values. Ms. Wong, experienced as a Diversity trainer and connected with the Diversity training community, affirmed this.
Emboldened by this vision of a field of opportunity in which there is more than enough work and an atmosphere of collaboration in which, as Dr. Crawford described it, "everybody potentiates everybody's influence toward the mission," we embraced as NMTP's strategic direction for 1997-1998 the development of training and consultation services, marketed by NMTP and delivered by NMTP members. This strategic direction is more likely to generate revenues sufficient to support graduate training. It is entirely consistent with the manifold mission of NMTP. It will generate strong interest and commitment to the organization by its members, offering opportunities for meaningful and remunerative participation, making its Members enthusiastic stakeholders.
Implementation: Before recruiting participants in a regionalized network of providers, we will need to demonstrate that we can find the work, and the workers, so that our marketing and provider recruitment efforts are credible. We will need to identify a small number of professionals ready to take on the work, and develop a few client relationships which can demonstrate the efficacy and utility of an NMTP training and consultation service.
We are fortunate that Mabel Lam, Shani Dowd, and Alice LoCicero, having taken initiative to offer education and training on behalf of NMTP, have been willing to constitute a working committee on consultation and education. Ms. Wong, with her experience in Diversity training and her collegial connections, will join them as colleague as well as Board liason/representative. Dr. Crawford's MMHRC hosts a conference in Boston October 30 and 31, 1997, "Multicultural Mental Health Research in the 21st Century," and the CMTP Reunion Committee plans a reunion/conference November 13 through 15, 1997. These conferences offer networking opportunities for the beginning stages of implementation of an NMTP training and consultation service.

LETTERS

I find the exchange between Alice and David very thought-provoking. I read this piece very differently than I would have at this time last year or before. Alice, in the comments from students you reported, I saw, beyond the seeds of distancing, strong denial of the reality and role of racism in its present form. I have been in classes where this has been the prevailing mood. On the surface there is some comfort in believing that my classmates are upset by racism and bias, but the underlying denial is also a way of silencing the person of color. "We all agree racism is bad and we're not like them (racist person) so can we move onto something else." David I liked your statement about the trap of "taking care of white people" that a person of color can fall into. I had a strong visceral response when I read this. My immediate thought was this isn't my work to do it's yours (the white individuals). It's not my role to comfort you and assure you that you're not like them (the racist white person).
Terri A. Betts, Psy.D.

An Open Letter to CMTP Alumni and Other Members of the CMTP Network:
Herbert M. Joseph, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., Director of CMTP October 7, 1997

It became apparent to us yesterday, October 6,that the plans for our 25th Anniversary Reunion had not progressed as far as we would have expected them to have at this point in time. With about 1 month left before the originally scheduled dates of November 13?16, a consensus decision was made to postpone the event till the Spring (May/ June 1998 ). Drs. Dudley ( Grant ), Porche?Burke, and Seymour will continue to serve as Co?Chairs of the event, and will provide consultation to a local planning committee, which is being composed at this point.

As a former practicum student and intern in the Minority Training Program (now CMTP) from 1973 - 1975, I can attest to the impact that the program and The Network has had on my professional career. For many of us the program provided a place where we could openly express and be ourselves and pursue our interests, in the company of supportive staff, faculty, interns and supervisors. Members of The Network have helped to affirm and value our cultural identities and professional interests in community?based clinical psychology and work with underserved populations in the public sector. For a long time now, BCH (now referred to as the Boston Medical Center Harrison Avenue Campus) has been the central place in Boston where those with career interests in training and providing mental health services in the public sector, to underserved and multicultural populations, have gathered. The Network has its origins and foundation here and its evolution from an informal to formal organization, as represented now by the Network for Multicultural Training in Psychology, Inc. (NMTP, Inc. ), is reflective of our "strength in numbers. " NMTP, Inc. grew out of the energy generated by our 20th Anniversary gathering in 1993, and is a testament to what we can accomplish when we collaborate and support each other.

While, in some ways, things have changed since 1972, in some ways things have remained the same. The training program has had to change with the times, while also striving to maintain its historical legacy. This 25th Anniversary is a significant milestone, one of which we should all be proud and celebrate. I hope that you will strongly consider joining our efforts to recognize me MTP/CMTP's contributions to psychology and the broader health and mental health community, locally, nationally and globally given the many accomplishments of program graduates, faculty, supervisors, and supporters over these last 25 years.

In order to facilitate planning of the Spring program, please take a few minutes to complete and return the attached [See inside back page - Ed] survey. Mail or FAX (24hrs/7 days) it to us as soon as you can, but RSVP by Dec. 1, 1997 very much appreciated. Thanks for your consideration and support. Please call me directly if questions.

BOARD MINUTES - MAY 31, 1996

Attendance: President K. Dawkins-Brickhouse, Vice President Leon Nicks, Treasurer Melvin Rosenthal, Clerk David Trimble, Director Adriana Rodriguez. Also in attendance: Herbert Joseph, Pedro Garrido. Absent: Directors Allen Brown, Kermit Crawford.
Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted.
Old business: Financial matters - 1.) Vice President Leon Nicks stated that the 501 (c) (3) Task Force would need to develop the application further, and would report back to the Board. In discussion, it was noted that we needed to develop detailed budgeting, including an accounting for "in - kind" assistance from CMTP and voluntary labor of Board and Committee members. Task force members are Drs. Nicks, Brown, Crawford, and Trimble. 2.) Treasurer Mike Rosenthal expressed his concerns about taking on the duties of Treasurer, as he saw the position requiring particular skills and experience which he felt he could not claim. After some discussion, it was the sense of the group that Vice President Leon Nicks would offer Mike everyassistance in carrying out the responsibilities of Treasurer, and that Mike would in those circumstances hold the title until the fall, when we will recruit a Finance Committee and the Board can elect a new Treasurer from among its members. 3.) NMTP will open a bank account, with Treasurer ad President each able to sign for transactions. 4.) Clerk David Trimble reported that the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office expects an Annual Report by the first anniversary of incorporation (November 7, 1996). David will check to determine when we will be expected to address our tax liability with the Commonwealth; we will need a copy of our 501 (c) (3) determination or of our application to secure exemption from Commonwealth taxes. 4.) It was moved and passed unanamously that all Directors each contribute $100 to open the account.
Committee reports - There were no Committee reports. It was the sense of the group that we will be recruiting Committee members in the fall, at the first gathering of the Network.
Fall meeting - Dr. A. Michael Rossi of CMTP staff is preparing a list of members of the MTP/CMTP network for a mailing to solicit NMTP Members. The letter will include an invitation to attend a gathering in the fall at the new CMTP quarters on the sixth floor of the Dowling Building. It was moved and voted unanimously that the date of the fall meeting be November 8, 1996. The mailing to the prospective Members will include 1.) a letter over Dr. Joseph's and Dr. Dawkins-Brickhouse's signatures announcing NMTP incorporation and soliciting Members; 2.) an application form with an unstamped return envelope; 3.) an announcement of the fall meeting as the first gathering of NMTP Members, held at the new CMTP quarters at the Boston Medical Center, with a presentation from a "Distinguished Member" of the Network.
New Business: The Board greeted new CMTP staff member Pedro Garrido-Castillo, Ph.D., who is serving as Core Faculty with special responsibilities including post-Doctoral training in neuropsychology and the Alcoholism Clinic. Formerly with the Cambridge Hospital Latino Clinic, Dr. Garrido's specialties also include extensive experience with addictions and HIV.
It was moved and voted unanimously that the NMTP stationery be Number Three of the three options presented, with the modification that the address be listed directly below the name.

BOARD MINUTES - AUGUST 9, 1996

Attendance: President K. Dawkins-Brickhouse, Vice President Leon Nicks, Clerk David Trimble, Director Allen Brown. Also in attendance: Herbert Joseph. Absent: Directors Adriana Rodriguez, Kermit Crawford.
Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted.
Old business: -We reviewed and edited the letter to solicit NMTP Members and the Membership application, incorporating some typesetting changes.
-The Board thanks Dr. Michael Rossi for his tireless work developing an Alumni/ae list for mailing the membership solicitation. In addition to the 140 names/addresses compiled for Alumni/ae, we have another 4 to 5 hundred listings for network members. The Board voted unanimously to include both Alumnae/i and network members in the original mailing/solicitation for Members.
-Dr. Nicks reported that Dr. Rosenthal had deposited the original $400 from Membership dues from Board Members into the NMTP bank account.
-We reviewed the progress of the 501(c)(3) task force, examining the draft document of the application. The application draft will be distributed to all Board members for their critical review; Board Members should send their editorial feedback to Dr. Trimble, 47 Winthrop Road, Brookline, MA 02146, by the deadline of September 4. Dr. Nicks will draft budgets for the first two years, based on our discussions.
New business: -The next Board meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 13, from 2:30 to 4:00, at the Center for Multicultural Psychology's new quarters in the Psychology Department, Dowling 7 North.
-Dr. Joseph described the work of the Minority Collective at Boston University, which will be conducting their second annual conference in the fall. The Minority Collective, advised by network member Dr. Jessica Daniels, has carried out a mission of supporting cultural competence in an academic environment which challenges that mission. The Minority Collective has requested support for its conference from those who support its mission. The Board voted unanimously to donate $100 from NMTP funds to support the Minority Collective conference at Boston University.
-We began planning for the November 8 gathering. We will mail invitations/announcements by the end of September. In addition to introducing NMTP, providing information through a presentation by a prominent Network Member, and showcasing CMTP's new home at Dowling 7, we Board members will be using the occasion to recruit Members to serve on Committees. We will need to prepare for this organizational effort by targeted networking. All Board members should receive a copy of the Alumni/ae address list with these Minutes, and begin the process of targeting and making connections with network members who will be urged to attend November 8, and to take up responsibilities as Committee members. At our next Board meeting, we will need to pull our planning together.

BOARD MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 13, 1996

Attendance: Vice President Leon Nicks, Clerk David Trimble, Director Allen Brown. Also in attendance: Herbert Joseph. Absent: President K. Dawkins-Brickhouse, Treasurer Mike Rosenthal, Directors Adriana Rodriguez and Kermit Crawford
With less than 50% of Directors attending, we could not vote any formal Board decisions. We held informal discussions; any understandings arrived are subject to ratification by formal Board vote.
Herb Joseph shared correspondence regarding NMTP's $100 donation to the Graduate Students for Multiculturalism in Mental Health, including a cover letter to Ms. Guerda Nicolas and a letter of clarification to Isabel L. Stevens, who had thanked CMTP for the donation made by NMTP.
We have so far received $690 in membership dues from 7 individuals and one organization in response to the mailing; this in addition to the original membership dues from Directors.
November 8 gathering We roughed out a plan for the November 8 gathering, as follows:
-The meeting will be at the CMTP quarters, 7 Dowling North, with a formal meeting from 3 to 5, followed by a reception from 5 "until."
- The format for the formal meeting will be as follows:
1.) Description of the structure of the organization, including the calendar of activities specified by the by-laws. Speaker unspecified.
2.) Review of first- and second-year goals, as outlined in the 501(c)(3) application. Speaker unspecified.
3.) Recruitment of participants into Committees (Finance - Mike Rosenthal, Membership - Allen Brown, Newsletter - David Trimble).
4.) Progress report on CMTP - Herb Joseph.
5.) Distinguished Speaker. Unspecified.
- We will need to specify the speakers from among ourselves for #1 and #2.
- We came up with a set of candidates for Distinguished Speaker, to be approached in order by the following individuals: Guy Seymour - David Trimble; Jessica Daniels - Herb Joseph; Victor de la Cancela - David Trimble; Jean Chin - Herb Joseph; Ena Nuttall - Herb Joseph.
-David Trimble will write copy for the invitations, which will be prepared and copied by Cynthia Martin. Leon Nicks will arrange for printing of 1,000 envelopes; the invitations will be sent to the alumnae/i and Network mailing lists, approximately 600-700 pieces.
-CMTP will arrange for the refreshments, etc., for the gathering; NMTP will cover these costs as well as mailing materials and postage.
-We did not set a "drop-deadline" for the mailing, but agreed that it would need to go out before our next meeting, set for October 3. Between now and then, we will need to come up with a way to specify the speakers (#1 and #2 above), and to arrange the voluntary labor to stuff envelopes. Once the speakers have been identified, the invitation can be prepared.
"Networking" by Directors
It is critically important that each of us take time between now and the gathering to make direct contact with Network members to solicit their membership, their attendance at the gathering (which may be attended by the new head of the BU Psychiatry Department, and should demonstrate the depth of the Network support for the Program), and their participation on Committees. We already have a copy of the Alumnae/i list; Herb will arrange for us to have copies of the larger Network list as well. Please commit some time to the important work of making direct contact with people you know, to recruit them into the NMTP effort.
To facilitate this, the list of new NMTP members follows [Listed by name and expressed interest in volunteering - Ed] Michael Dixon, Finances; Louisa Howe; Stephen Lawrence; Alicia Lucksted, Yes; Massachusetts Psychological Association; Donna Moores; Ena Nuttall; Linda Son, Newsletter; Kathleen Gibney, "Let me know where I might be most helpful."
Future information broadcasts -Although Cynthia Martin remains at present central to disbursing information to Directors, we are moving as fast as possible to reposition the Clerk for this responsibility. If you have not supplied your Fax number to Cynthia or to me, please do so as soon as possible, so I can Fax out news as it arrives. I am at 47 Winthrop Road, Brookline, MA 02146; Fax 617 566 2416. If you received these minutes by snailmail, I do not have your Fax number.
501(c)(3) application - Leon Nicks provided estimates for operating budget, and raised the question, is our goal for the second year (two fully-funded intern positions continued from the first year, all seven intern positions paid at regional prevailing rate; health insurance for all intern positions) too ambitious. After discussion, we decided to change the second year objective to continuing the two positions, and providing health insurance for all seven positions.
We discussed the question of how to specify our "current year," given that we are, strictly speaking, in our second fiscal year. We came to the understanding that we would count November, 1975, through June, 1996, as our "current year," given that we are taking an eighteen-month "initial organizing year" to get started, that we do not have enough organizational experience to make realistic forecasts about a "second year" of 98-99, and that, by counting our "current year" as specified, we give an account of all activities of NMTP since its incorporation. IRS will then respond to this construction in our 1023 application.
The 1023 needs to be filed before our calendar anniversary of November 17, 1996, in order for us to send a copy to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, so as not to be liable for a minimum tax. I will have the material for a "penultimate" draft in Cynthia Martin's hands for a final review by September 20; once Bobbie, Leon, Allen, and Herb have reviewed it the final form will be prepared and filed forthwith.
A note to those who were not present -We regret that we scheduled so close to sundown on Rosh Hashanah, a decision we made regretfully to accommodate as many schedules as possible. As you may imagine, it was difficult to carry out so much business with so small a number, particularly without a quorum for formal Board decisions. Please do your best to attend, and please let us know as soon you can if it is impossible for you to do so.

DID YOU KNOW....
NMTP Notes is required by the By-Laws to publish all Board meeting minutes, calls for nominations, and referendum questions? This issue takes us through the November gathering; there are seven Board meetings left to report to bring the members up to date.
The By-Laws were drawn up in the spirit of the informal "Network" which developed around CMTP. The Membership has power over all major decisions, and the Newsletter keeps you informed.

REPORT ON THE NOVEMBER 8, 1996, FIRST GATHERING
Board members in attendance: Vice President Leon Nicks, Treasurer Melvin Rosenthal, Clerk David Trimble, Directors Allen Brown, Kermit Crawford Board members not in attendance: President K. Dawkins-Brickhouse, Director Adriana Rodriguez
The gathering began in the Dowling Amphitheater with a welcome from CMTP Director Dr. Joseph, reports from Officers, and a formal address by Dr. Crawford (replacing Dr. Seymour, who had to cancel because of the recent loss of his mother). We then moved upstairs to Dowling 7 North, the CMTP headquarters, to gather informally over refreshments and convene initial meetings of the Finance/Fundraising, Membership, and Newsletter Committees.
In Dr. Dawkins-Brickhouse's absence, the Officers and Directors voted unanimously for Dr. Nicks to sign the application forms for 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service; Dr. Nicks signed the requisite forms. Dr. Trimble obtained a check for $25 from the Treasurer, by prior telephone request, to file the requisite annual report with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue; I apologize for forgetting to request a formal Board authorization for this expenditure at the meeting.
By informal count, more than 40 people showed up over the course of the five hour gathering. The signup sheet will be stored with this record of the meeting in the Minutes of NMTP. Nearly ten people identified themselves as appearing for the first time at a gathering of the Network.
Dr. Trimble provided an overview of NMTP structure, by-laws, and annual calendar; Dr. Nicks reported on the goals for the first two years, distributing a handout which is stored with the record of this meeting. Dr. Trimble spoke in error about the next Board Meeting date, and was fortunately corrected at the gathering. Please review your current copy of the Minutes of the November 1 meeting, to be sure that it reads correctly, as follows: THE NEXT BOARD MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, FROM 10:30 TO NOON, AT CMTP HEADQUARTERS, DOWLING 7 NORTH.
Dr. Crawford's address, "The MMHRC: Past, Present, and Future Directions," included a retrospective personal account of the importance of the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, with a strong emphasis on the obligation which every beneficiary of the Program assumes for supporting the psychology interns who follow. His narrative of the history of the Multicultural Mental Health Research Center was organized around two core principles: First, "Whatever I can do to help, within the limits of law and ethical practice, I am willing to do." Second, Personal integrity. His narrative illustrated the power of returning to principles at moments of extreme challenge as the organization went through the vicissitudes of its early development. He recalled the passionate feeling of mission of the founders, "We who have been let through, let us do it [The work of developing culturally competent psychology] ourselves." He spoke of the power available when one has arrived at a position, stirring yearnigs among many of us as he spoke of a research center where the senior researchers wonder aloud about their questions, and the research associates and assistants set to work at their computers, exploring the massive data base at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center to find answers to the questions. He illustrated the possibilities when a culturally competent researcher raises questions, e.g., does the emergence of managed "level the playing field" for people of color? Findings from a massive database about service utilization proved to be robust, but not obvious in their implications for the questions. Dr. Crawford suggested that differences among different peoples of color in the effects of managed care might, perhaps, reflect the degree of difference of each subculture from the dominant culture, as well as the degree of social cohesion of each group; the permeability of its boundary with the dominant culture. Dr. Crawford's address embodied his remarkable spiritual power, which he draws explicitly from his experience of interconnection with others. He inspired us with his values, encouraged and informed us for the course of early organizational development on which we are embarked, and offered opportunities for individuals and organizations to collaborate on our shared mission of developing the competent practice of multicultural psychology.
The Finance/Fundraising Committee's early meeting included Dr. Rosenthal and Ms. Alicia Lucksted; Dr. Rosenthal plans to meet soon with Mike Dixon, a volunteer who was unable to attend the gathering, to continue initial planning. The next Board Meeting minutes will include a more detailed report on this committee.
The following people either attended or signed up for the Membership Committee: Brunilde De Léon, Maria M. DelRio, Yvonne Jenkins, Dana Karasaki, George R. Thorn. Dr. Allen was unable to stay to chair the meeting of the Membership Committee; Dr. Crawford's summary of the Committee meeting follows:
1. Conduct schedule of presentations about the Program
2 Develop and distribute flyers
3. Encourage network members and others to identify and refer prospective members
4. Encourage others to spread the information in their workplace and writings by providing resource listings or informational announcements
5. Set up a home page on the Internet
6. Individual lectures as part of university courses
7. Focus on spreading "the word" about NMTP to clinics in central and western Massachusetts
8. Ads in trade publications
9. Phon-a-ton (i.e. direct telephone solicitation)
10. Contact trade and professional organizations such as APA-MFP, APA-Div 45, etc.
The following people either attended or signed up for the Newsletter Committee: Terri A. Betts, Kathleen C. Gibney, Merlin R. Langley, Alice LoCicero. The first issue of the Newsletter will be distributed once there is a Directory of members for distribution. The Clerk reviewed the formal obligations of the Newsletter to disseminate organizational records and call for nominations, referenda, announce Annual Meeting, etc. It was suggested in conversation that the Newsletter might well become an attractive venue for articles, given the currency of the movements for diversity and cultural competence. We discussed the prospect of disseminating the Newsletter through a Website, and the question as to whether or not the Newsletter might be able to access Website and publishing software/expertise through an Institutional member.
[The text of Dr. Nicks' presentation follows - Ed]
MISSION: To provide education, training, research, consultation, dissemination of expert knowledge, public advocacy, fund raising, ( scholarships, fellowships and grants in aid) in furtherance of the competent practice of multicultural psychology.
OBJECTIVES: FIRST YEAR - 7/l/96 to 6/30/97
A. Organizational Development
1. Develop the infrastructure of the new organization to include (a) IRS filing for tax-exempt status, (b) establishment of a committee structure as required by By-laws (Finance, Membership and Newsletter Committees) and (c) initiation of fund raising activities.
2. Conduct an informal organizational meeting in November, 1996 for solicitation of memberships and mobilization and orientation of members.
3. Initiate fund raising activities with a target of at least 130 founding memberships (95 fellow, 5 organizational, 20 student and 10 community memberships).
B. Network Enhancement
1. Membership solicitation to Network members and CMTP alumni through available mailing lists.
2. Hold first informal membership gathering in November, 1996 with a presentation on the practice of culturally competent psychology.
3. Convene the first annual meeting of NMTP in Spring, 1997 in conjunction with CMTP's 25th Anniversary and Reunion of Program and Network with presentations on the culturally competent practice of psychology.
C.Scholarship and Training Support
1. Increase the vitality of CMTP by providing full scholarships for two new intern positions at CMTP for the 1997-98 year at the current rate of compensation.
SECOND YEAR - 7/1/97 to 6/30/98
A. Organizational Development
1. Conduct all operations specified in the By-laws ( e.g. Newsletter, Annual Meeting, elections, referenda, procedures for disbursing funds in support of mission, etc.).
2. Increase membership to 270 with a target of 190 fellow, 10 organizational, 50 student and 20 community memberships.
3. Undertake a critical analysis of fund raising from memberships, grants, direct solicitations etc. and articulate a fund raising plan for the next several years.
B. Network Enhancement
1. Explore vehicles for dissemination of knowledge about culturally competent psychology and how these may be funded.
2. Facilitate publications by NMTP members and other qualified persons of knowledge about culturally competent psychological practice.
3. Continue the NMTP Newsletter, which in addition to managing business communications among our members, will provide a forum for exchange of ideas about culturally competent practice among a sophisticated readership.
C. Scholarship and Training Support
1. Continue support of the two internship scholarships established in the first year.
2. Provide health insurance, valued at $2,500 per person, for all CMTP interns.
3. Set priorities for financial support of other mission- related activities (e.g. faculty support, travel allowances, dissertation and research support, etc.) in the event that additional funds become available as result of fund raising strategies.