Collaborating for social change: The Black psychologist and the Black community

Several prominent Black scholars have argued that the prdicament of Black i ntellectuals is inseparable from that of Black communities (C. West, 1994), and that Black psychologists should be at the forefront in developing cult urally relevant psychological interventions (J. A. Baldwin, 1989). Yet, for Black psychologists there are a number of challenges to conducting success ful interventions in Black communities, including historical abuses of Blac k communities by the "helping" professions and divergences in values, goals , and behaviors of professionals as compared to community members. In order for community psychologists to design interventions that are respectful of the cultural traditions and norms of Black communities, these obstacles to collaboration need to be addressed. This paper outlines some of the challe nges faced by Black community psychologists, as well as the unique strength s they can mobilize when collaborating on research and interventions in Bla ck communities. The paper also addresses methods of empowering Black commun ities and improving the training of community psychologists.