Statement of Support for Reparations for Slavery
Approved by the EGPS Board of Directors in February 2020
The Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society (EGPS) was founded to promote group approaches to the delivery of human services through teaching, training, research and collegial support. As we advance our work to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive organizational culture, EGPS seeks to affirm our values as group practitioners, particularly as they relate to healing the moral, spiritual, and material harm caused by the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade.
As healthcare professionals, we cannot remain silent as the legacy of slavery in America fosters injustice and oppression of the members of our social and professional communities. As responsible citizens, we cannot remain silent in the face of the destructive practices and policies of White supremacist culture. We believe that reparations for slavery offer a pathway to atone for these practices and policies within and beyond our organization. To guide our efforts to repair past racial harms, and to amend practices to prevent future harm, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of EGPS endorses the United Nations guidelines for reparations.
The United Nations definition of reparations for violations of human rights includes: 1. Restitution of rights, identity, and lost opportunities, including employment, education and social benefits; 2. Compensation for damages that is proportional to the gravity of the suffering for physical or mental harm; 3. Rehabilitation for damages, which may include legal, medical and psychological services; 4. Satisfaction deemed appropriate by the injured party for such acts as reparative measures, public apologies, commemorative events and/or
memorialization; and 5. Guarantee of non-repetition that reflects a commitment to reforms ensuring human rights in the future.
The pernicious legacy of slavery affects us all whether we see it or not. In the spirit of the United Nations guidelines[1], the leadership of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society is committed to openly supporting all meaningful efforts to ease the suffering of those affected by this tragic history and to amend any policy and practice that perpetuates inequality or injustice within our organization and within the scope of our stated mission.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-and-guidelines-right-remedy-and-reparation
