Psychology Program Presents

Whiteness Hurts Society: How Whiteness Shapes Mental, Physical, and Social Health Outcomes

Calls to integrate Critical Race Theory (CRT) into research are not new, yet the
framework has been less utilized among psychologists. This presentation bridges research from
social psychology, critical race theory, and public health to highlight how confronting whiteness
can assist psychologists’ capacity to effectively study and address health and social issues. We
define whiteness as a racialized social system and a set of beliefs that uphold White American
social supremacy and the oppression of populations of color.
Building on this argument and the Whiteness and Health framework (Malat et al., 2018),
we examine case studies where whiteness is embedded and reproduced through nation-state
ideology (e.g., gun rights, Christian nationalism), policy, and practice in ways that harm well-
being and population health overall. In documenting the negative effects of whiteness on health,
we aim to illustrate how CRT can be used to guide and advance psychological research. In doing
so, we encourage disinvestment from white supremacy in our field and academe broadly
alongside frank conversations that center the realities of inequity (both in society and in systems
of knowledge production) sustained by power and privilege. Understanding how whiteness
operates will aid the development of interventions and policies that reduce unequities that
results from whiteness and the enduring nature of racism.

H. Shellae Versey, PhD, MPH: H. Shellae Versey is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Psychology at Fordham University. Her research interests include
gentrification and displacement, health inequity, urban aging, and intersections between
gender, class, and race.

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For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 4:00 pm EST/GMT-5

Location: Preston Theater

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