Bertha Garrett Holliday is a community psychologist known for her expertise on ethnic minority issues. Her work has focused on processes of child and family socialization and the academic experiences and achievement of Black youth. Holliday was Senior Director of the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs at the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

(APA), where she led APA's efforts to increase scientific understanding of role of culture and ethnicity in human relationships and behavior. She retired from the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs in 2010 after 16 years of service to the APA. Holliday is a Fellow of APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity & Race). In 2001, she received the Distinguished Career Contribution to Service Award from APA Division 45. In 2011, she was awarded the Social Justice Action Award from

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

Biography

Holliday was born and raised in

Kansas City, MO Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. As a member of a family that was continuously involved in social justice and civic engagement efforts, Holliday reported that she walked her first picket line at age 4, protesting the unacceptable conditions of her overcrowded, segregated kindergarten. Holliday completed a BA in psychology at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and an EdM in Counselor Education at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, and then obtained a PhD in Community Psychology at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. She subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Lifespan Development and Ecological Psychology at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

from 1982 to 1919??. Prior to joining the APA Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, Holliday was on the faculty of the Department of Psychology and Human Development at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. Among her widely cited papers are several historical reports of early studies on Black youth that were conducted by the

American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...

in the 1930–1940s. Since retiring from the APA, Holliday has been involved in the leadership of the Bloomingdale Civic Association in Washington, DC.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holliday, Bertha African-American psychologists American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists Vanderbilt University faculty University of Chicago alumni Harvard University alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni Ethnic minorities Social justice scholars Year of birth missing (living people) Living people