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Charles Turner: The First African American Psychologist

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One of the first African Americans to work with psychological topic was Charles Turner back in 1867. He studies in a small group on animal behavior. Turner worked very hard and for a very long time. He had over 70 publications on psychological topics. With this kind of experience, you would think a good job at a research based university would be easy to find. Charles came the closest to this when he was a finalist for a spot at the University of Chicago, but unfortunately was not hired because of his race. This really resonated with me because if it was me running a university, or in the spot to make the final decision between to candidates for a high level job at a university, I would definitely have chosen the candidate with more experience, had everything else on the resumes been equal. Regardless of race, a better candidate is a better candidate. Charles Turner could have done even more special research that we may have been able to find useful today, if he had been given the opportunity to study from such an elite position like the one at the University of Chicago. Nonetheless, Charles Turner still had a lasting impact on the field of psychology. He is known as one of the first African American psychologists. I believe he paved the road and opened up opportunities for more African Americans to …show more content…

These African American males all had degrees in psychology from Clark University. All three of these men ended up playing important roles in psychology. What intrigues me about these men is the perseverance they showed to push through all of the discrimination put on them at the time of their college careers. These men were thought to be “less developed” that the average white male at the time. So, for them to push past this lack of hope from others and finish their degree anyway, shows how developed these men really were back in the early

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