UC Irvine Psychologist, Educator to Discuss Topics of Diversity May 15 at Cal Poly

Thomas A. Parham, psychologist and vice chancellor of student affairs at UC Irvine will present “From Vision to Voice: The Passionate Discourse of Social Outrage Among all Diverse People” from 11:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15, in Chumash Auditorium at Cal Poly.

The talk will focus on various topics, including violence against women, Obamacare, racial insensitivity, sexual assault on college campuses, Trayvon Martin, and Latino immigration reform. 

For more than 30 years, Parham has focused his research in the areas of identity development, African psychology, social justice, and multicultural counseling. He is also the founder of The Bakari Project, an intervention and prevention program for at-risk youth.

Parham, who earned a doctorate in psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association and is the former president of the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development and the Association of Black Psychologists. He is a licensed counseling psychologist in California.

As UC Irvine’s vice chancellor, he leads a Student Affairs team dedicated to supporting the academic mission of the university, enhancing the co-curricular aspects of student learning, assessing learning outcomes, and promoting opportunities for leadership development and character building among students. 

An active member of his community, Parham dedicates his skills to social advocacy, community uplift, and youth empowerment.

The presentation is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts’ Lottery Speakers Fund, Psychology & Child Development Department, Office of Diversity & Inclusivity, Black Faculty & Staff Association, Ethnic Studies Department, and the Multicultural Center.