Afrikan History of Togetherness, Dr. Wade Nobles (Nana Kwaku Berko I)

1. RBG Blakademics July, 2010
THE 3 Cs-
CONSCIOUS, COMMITMENT AND CONDUCT
WITH DR. WADE NOBLES
AFRIKAN HISTORY OF TOGETHERNESS
OPEN PLAYLIST
Wade W. Nobles, Ph.D.
(Nana Kwaku Berko I., aka Ifagbemi Sangodare)
Executive Director
The Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life & Culture,
Inc.
Psychologist and Professor of Africana Studies
San Francisco State University
Director
Center for Applied Cultural Studies and Educational Achievement
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2. RBG Blakademics July, 2010
Dr. Wade W. Nobles is an experimental social psychologist, who received his Ph.D. from
Stanford University. He has a special interest in the social, ethnic and cultural relativity of
social science, research and evaluation models. Dr. Nobles is a prominent theoretical scientist
in the fields of African Psychology, cross-cultural and ethno-human functioning. He is one of
the leading researchers on social systems and psycho-cultural development. In addition to his
research interest in the area of African-American family dynamics, his research interest also
covers the psychological aspects of mythology, Black child development, parenting and
systems of human transformation and development.
Dr. Nobles is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of
Black Family, Life and Culture, Inc., and a full-time, tenured professor in the Department of
Black Studies, the School of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. He is also the
founder and Director of the Center for Applied Cultural Studies and Educational Achievement
(CACSEA), a California State University System educational research center dedicated to
studying and developing models of culturally consistent educational pedagogy and praxis
relative to African-American educational excellence. Since its inception CACSEA has been
devoted to applying the ideas and teachings of Dr. Nobles and other African educators and
scholars to the improvement of Black education. For the past four years CACSEA has held
formal summer teacher training institutes and has trained over eight hundred teachers in its
unique "touching the spirit" pedagogy. In recognition of his scholarship and community work,
Dr. Nobles was appointed to serve on the California State Commission on the Status of the
African American Males.
As the Director of the Institute, Dr. Nobles has served as the leader of numerous community
based development initiatives. He founded and created the HAWK Manhood Development
and Transformation Rites of Passage Training of Trainers Program, which has over fifteen
sites throughout the United States and a female prototype, the Aset Society. He has written
and conducted over sixty seven funded community based research, training and development
projects. In his capacity as a nationally recognized community grounded scholar and
researcher, he served as the chief architect and scholar-in-residence for the McClymonds
African Centered Science, Culture and Technology High School Transformation Project. Dr.
Nobles served as the chief Co-designer for the Congress of National Black Church's
development of a Conceptual Intervention Model for Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes in
African American Women and the Association of Black Psychologists' African Centered
Behavioral Change Model for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STDs. He currently
serves as the chief consultant for the Kansas City Missouri School Districts K-12 African
Centered Schools Program.
Dr. Nobles has served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Families; was a
member of the President's Commission on Mental Health and is one of the most sought after
scholars, trainers and consultants in the country. He has established an international
reputation and for a decade was a participant/convenor of an international group of Black
scholars meeting in Trinidad, the Virgin Islands, East Africa and the USA. In 1983 he was
invited as 1 of 200 internationally recognized scholars - theologians from around the world to
attend a conference on emerging religious theologies in Portugal. Since 1996, he has co-led
"The Enyimnyam Project", a unique and special study-development project designed to
connect Africans from the Diaspora with Africans from the continent by having Africans from
the USA actually experiencing the "lived experiences" (work and play) of the people of Ghana
via development projects that intentionally address the question of life's purpose, path, pain,
direction and destiny.
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3. RBG Blakademics July, 2010
While serving as the National President of the Association of Black Psychologists (1994-95),
Dr. Nobles helped to create the Association's international health initiative. This initiative
included the drafting and signing of the "African Healers Covenant" between the Association
of Black Psychologists and the Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers and the
Federation of Traditional Healers. The African Healers Covenant calls for the on-going
exchange of practitioners, interns and students as well as collaborative research, cross-
training, technical assistance and informational and skills transfer.
Dr. Nobles is an expert presenter-trainer in the fields of African Psychology, Black family
dynamics, youth development, African centered education and behavioral change, culturally
consistent systems theory, substance abuse prevention training, community generated ritual
development, and traditional African spiritness and healing. He has lectured, trained, worked
and designed community based development projects throughout the United States, England,
Japan and Africa.
In 1996, Dr. Nobles received the high honor of being enstooled as the Nkwasohene of
Akwasiho-Kwahu Region of Ghana West Africa. His stool name is Nana Kwaku Berko I and
he is responsible for every aspect of development for the people of Akwasiho and the Kwahu
region. Upon being enstooled as an African sub-chief for development, Dr. Nobles has been
reintegrated back into the ancient clan system of the royal chieftancy of the Akan civilization.
Dr. Wade W. Nobles is an active member of the Association of Black Psychologists,
serving as:
(1) A founding member of the Association (1969)
(2) President, Bay Area Association of Black Psychologist (1973-74)
(3) Western Regional Representative to the National Board (1974-75)
(4) Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Black Psychology (1976 to present)
(5) Recipient of first "Scholarly Research Award" given by the National Association of Black
Psychologist (1977)
(6) Co-Chair, Association of Black Psychologist 19th Annual National Convention (1986)
(7) Member, National Convention Review Board (1987)
(8) Recipient of "Scholarship Award" given by the National Association of Black Psychologist
(August 4,1990)
(9) Selected as the 1990 Distinguished Psychologist of the year
(10) President Elect of the Association of Black Psychologist (1993)
(11) President, Association of Black Psychologist, 1994 - 1995
Dr. Nobles is the author of the seminal articles:
African Philosophy: Foundation for Black Psychology. In R. L. Jones (ed) BLACK
PSYCHOLOGY, New York: Harper & Row, 1972, pp.18-32.,
Voodoo or I.Q.: An Introduction to African Psychology. JOURNAL OF BLACK PSYCHOLOGY,
1975, Vol. l, No. 2, Pp. 1-20. (Co-authored with Cedric X (Clark) aka Syed Khatib, D. Phillip
McGee, and Luther X (Weems), aka Naim Akbar
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4. RBG Blakademics July, 2010
He is the author of the following books:
Seeking the Sakhu: Foundational Writings for an African Psychology. Chicago, Illinois: Third
World Press, 2006
African Psychology: Toward its Reclamation, Reascension and Revitalization. Oakland, Ca.
Black Family Institute Publications
Africanity and the Black Family: The Development of a Theoretical Model. Oakland, Ca. Black
Family Institute Publications
and the co-author of:
African Philosophy: Assumptions and Paradigms for Research on Black People. (with Lewis
M. King and Vernon Dixon) LA, California: Fanon Center Publications, 1976.
Understanding the Black Family: A Guide For Scholarship and Research (with Lawford L.
Goddard) Oakland, Ca. Black Family Institute Publications
The Km Ebit Husia: Authoritative Utterances of Exceptional Insight for the Black Family ( with
Lawford L. Goddard and William E. Cavil, III) Oakland, Ca. Black Family Institute Publications.
"African-American Families: Issues, Insights and Directions"
(with Lawford L. Godddard, William E. Cavil, III and Pamela Y. George) Oakland, Ca. Black
Family Institute Publications.
Dr. Nobles serves on the Executive Board of The Association for the Study of Classical
African Civilizations.
He is the recipient of:
Award for Excellence, Scholarship, and Dedication in the Study of African Peoples, Black
Student Psychological Association, 1977
Certificate of Appreciation National Head Start Association, Ohio 1978
Certificate of Recognition, New York City Head Start, New York City University, 1979
Award for Recognition and Outstanding Scholarly Research on the Black Family, Bay Area
National Hampton Alumni Association, 1982.
Congressional Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community, The State and the
Nation, the 99th Session of United States Congress, 1985
Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Psychology Award, Grand Rapids Alumni Chapter,
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 1989
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