As Cheryl Tawede Grills, Ph.D., nears the end of her final semester at Loyola Marymount University, she is busy preparing her students for another global immersion trip to Ghana. Grills, who is retiring after 38 years at LMU, is taking her group on an exploration of African philosophy, psychology, medicine, spirituality, and history – a journey she has taken many times that touches on so many aspects of the deep-rooted influence she has had on the university.
In Ghana, the students will be exposed to a holistic African worldview and understanding of psychology; they will learn the history and ongoing consequences of the Trans-Atlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans; they will deepen their understanding of Indigenous African culture using Ghana’s Akan culture as a case in point regarding African and diasporan African cultural retentions; and they will deepen their understanding of the South African concept of ubuntu (being in community and masking a commitment to the greater good).
So much of Grills’ work on LMU’s campus reflects and reiterates the aims and goals of the trip. She has tirelessly developed classes and programs to imbue self-worth and a sense of identity unfettered by stereotypes and bias, expand cultural knowledge, and empower her students, particularly her African American students, to confidently engage with the world as they find it.
“Cheryl’s contributions to the Department of Psychological Science and to the university are unparalleled, and her standing as a President’s Professor speaks to this,” said Adam Fingerhut, professor and chair of the Department of Psychological Science. “She is not only a true teacher-scholar, but also one who centers the mission of the institution into all that she does. She consistently and continually pushes all of us to think differently and to act equitably in an effort to create a truly just world. She has made an indelible mark on our department that ensures that DEI is forever woven into the fabric of who we are and what we do.”
Among the impacts Grills has had include:
- Founded LMU’s Kente graduation, a rite of passage recognizing African American students who are graduating seniors, earning a master’s degree, or completing a certification program. She procured the handmade stoles by a master Kente weaver in Accra, Ghana, that are symbolic of each student’s uniqueness, but also their secure place within LMU’s Black Family.
- Founded and directed the Psychology Applied Research Center. Since 2009, PARC has collaborated with many community-based organizations on grant-funded projects to facilitate social change and community empowerment through action-oriented research.
- Founded the Psychology Department’s living/learning community, The Psychology Early Awareness Program (The PEAPs).
- Designed innovative curricula that take her students into communities and afford them experience in applied research in psychology that few undergraduates have the opportunity to have.
- Received the Daum Professorship Award, given annually to a tenured professor in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts with full rank who has exhibited a record of excellence in teaching and advising, scholarship or creative work, and service and leadership.
- Was appointed President’s Professor in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, a distinguished rank bestowed upon individuals whose achievements go beyond those of a tenured full professor and whose work has achieved national and international distinction.
Beyond LMU, Grills’ impact has been deep and lasting. She has been recognized by the National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI-LA Urban) Honors for Excellence in Turning Research into Action; the Charlotta Bass Media Award for leaders who break barriers and drive social change; the National Association of Black Psychologists Service Award; the National Association of Black Psychologists Distinguished Psychologist Award; and the U.S. President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation President’s Volunteer Service Award.
She recently served for two years on the California Reparations Taskforce, appointed by the governor; is a commissioner on the National African American Reparations Commission; is a commissioner on the 400 Years of African American History Commission under the Department of the Interior; served as a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, which focuses on conditions and practices within county jails and correctional facilities; and was co-executive director of the Los Angeles County Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Protection whose work led to significant reforms in L.A. County’s approach to child welfare, including establishment of an Office of Child Protection. Just this week, Grills learned that Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles City Council are going to honor her for her “longstanding and ongoing commitment to uplifting and empowering Black communities, in Los Angeles and beyond.”
Grills, a national past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, is also the founder of Imoyase Community Support Services, a 30-year nonprofit organization providing action research, program evaluation, and strategic technical assistance to social justice and social service community-based organizations.
She is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed, published articles and chapters. Grills has also been the principal investigator on numerous grant-funded projects, including serving as the principal investigator of a national COVID-19 needs assessment examining the pandemic’s impact on communities of color that led to presentations to the Centers for Disease Control, the White House, and several Congressional caucuses.
Wade W. Nobles, professor emeritus of Black Psychology and African Studies at San Francisco State University and co-founder of the Association of Black Psychologists highlighted the deep convictions that anchor Grills: “She has an unwavering and fearless commitment to the notion of Black lives and Black culture, worldview, and mental health in the face of racial stress and trauma.”
President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., in announcing Grills appointment as President’s Professor, said, “She powerfully illustrates what it means to be passionate for a faith that does justice, to be persons for and with others, and to have moral integrity that guides professional choices and leads to a life of meaning and purpose. Among all these accomplishments, she is also a gifted teacher and mentor.”
As she guides her last trip of personal and cultural discovery to Ghana, Grills can confidently look back on a career that changed lives, promoted healing, and made the world better.
