Planes, Conferences, and Organizations
- Vernon C. Lindsay, PhD
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Dear Student Leader,
Is it Spring Break for you? Did you travel? I wrote this while on a turbulent flight from the National Council of Black Studies (NCBS) Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
If you’re reading this, either my computer or I survived the moments when my stomach plummeted, and the plane fell into air pockets.
Before arriving at the airport, I heard about the travel delays across the country. I left the hotel early to avoid the stress of long lines. Thankfully, things went smooth when I arrived at the BWI airport.
The lines did not stretch to the curb, and I passed through the security checkpoints with the typical scrutiny I receive whenever I travel. TSA enjoys patting me down to check for the drugs and weapons that I never carry.
Enough about me.
Do you attend conferences or hold any professional organizational memberships?
If not, I suggest that you select one conference to attend and an academic organization to join. Benefits include opportunities to build community with others in your field, access to academic journals, and the inside track on employment prospects.
There are fees to consider when choosing conferences and organizations. However, student rates are often available. Your current employer or school might also sponsor you if the conference or organization aligns with their professional development policy.
Once you join an org, make the most of your membership and get involved with a committee. It’s volunteer work, but the relationships you form can prove beneficial to your social and professional life.
With the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), I serve as the Managing Editor for the PsychDiscourse. I support members and non-members in sharing their writings through the organization’s online platform. In addition to reviewing submissions and connecting with the ABPsi’s leadership team, I receive communal support and submit articles for publication.
My latest article on the PsychDiscourse coincides with the topic of my presentation at the National Council for Black Studies conference. I shared about using capoeira as an African-centered wellness practice to support Black academic success.
Do you have questions about capoeira and African-centered wellness practices?
Capoeira is a martial art that combines self-defense, acrobatic movements, dance, and sacred rituals involving the enslavement of Africans in Brazil. For twenty years in various environments, I have used capoeira to build community, support academic achievement, and enhance health and wellness practices. I wrote the book, Capoeira, Black Males, and Social Justice: A Gym Class Transformed, about my work in Chicago.
African-centered wellness practices are self-care activities that reconnect practitioners to African/Black people, values, customs, Ancestors, and land. In the presentation, I shared that African-centered wellness activities can include, but are not limited to, capoeira, running, writing, and protesting. If the healthy activity involves connecting with the African diaspora, it aligns with an African-centered wellness practice.
Here’s a 1 min edited clip of my talk.
I never stay within the boxes of traditional academic presentations.
If your Spring Break is ending, I hope you make time for an activity that enriches your body, mind, and soul. Read, exercise, pray, meditate, or do something that rejuvenates the courage necessary for leadership on college campuses.
Remember my suggestions about connecting with a professional organization and attending a conference. If Black/Africana Studies aligns with your interests, I recommend you learn more about the National Council of Black Studies and the Association of Black Psychologists.
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