Dr. Helen Neville, who received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School in 1993, has co-edited a book, The Myth of Colorblindness: Manifestations, Dynamics, and Impact (APA 2015). Neville’s co-authors are Miguel Gallardo of Pepperdine University and Derald Wing Sue of Columbia University. The book examines whether the U.S. is a post racial society by considering input from experts in sociology, education, and psychology on the idea of color-blindness, or color-blind racial ideology (CBRI). CBRI is the common belief that skin color does not affect society because skin color does not affect interpersonal relations. The book examines the many facets of this complicated issue, from how to assess CBRI to color-blindness in education and healthcare, and finally advocates for countering color-blindness through inclusive, equal opportunities for everyone.
Dr. Neville is currently a professor of Educational Psychology and African American Studies, and an affiliated faculty member in Psychology and Gender and Women’s studies, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research at the University of Illinois focuses on racial ideology, black racial identity, and color-blind ideology.
Previously, Neville worked at the University of Missouri, where she held the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, the Black Studies Program, and was the Co-Director for the Center for Multicultural Research, Training, and Consultation. She has served on American Psychological Association (APA) committees such as the Society of Counseling Psychology and the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs. Additionally, Neville has edited psychology journals including the Journal of Black Psychology and the Journal of Counseling Psychology.
The Myth of Colorblindness: Manifestations, Dynamics, and Impact will be released on October 19, 2015 and is available for preorder now.