Joy DeGruy facts for kids

Joy Angela DeGruy (born October 16, 1957) is an American author, teacher, and researcher. She used to be a professor at Portland State University and is now the head of DeGruy Publications, Inc. and Be The Healing, Inc. She is best known for her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.

Early Life and Education

Joy DeGruy was born on October 16, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. She was the youngest of four children. Her parents, Oscar and Nellie DeGruy, were from Louisiana. Her great-grandparents on her mother's side were from Belize.

Joy went to school in Los Angeles. She even took college classes while still in high school. She has shared that her high school guidance counselor once told her she wasn't "college material." Despite this, she went on to earn several degrees.

Dr. DeGruy's Degrees

• Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from Portland State University.
• Master's degree in Social Work from Portland State University.
• Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pacific University.
• Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research from Portland State University.

For her Ph.D., Dr. DeGruy studied why some African American male youth might become violent. She looked at how culture, learning from others, and past traumas can play a role. She also used her own new idea, called Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, which later became the topic of her famous book.

Teaching Career

From 2001 to 2014, Dr. DeGruy was a professor at Portland State University's School of Social Work. She taught many important classes, including:

• How people behave in their environment.
• General social work practices.
• African American community studies.
• How trauma affects African American families over many generations.
• Diversity and social justice.

Research and Books

Dr. DeGruy's main idea is that serious trauma can affect families for many generations. She explains that no one had truly measured how slavery impacted people, or what it meant to live in a difficult environment for centuries. She believes that people were hurt not just physically, but also deeply in their minds and feelings.

Her ideas come from research she did in both America and Africa. Her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, has been used as a source in over 1700 other research papers and books. The American Psychological Association (APA) recognized her work in 2023.

Different Views on Her Work

Some people see Dr. DeGruy's theory as a very important way to understand how past traumas can affect people's behavior today. They believe it helps explain how history influences the present and how people can heal.

However, not everyone agrees with her theory. Some scholars, like Ibram X. Kendi, have criticized it.

Others, like Professor Guy Emerson Mount, support her work. He believes that even with some concerns, the idea of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome can still help fight racism and support healing for Black people. He notes that Dr. DeGruy is a psychologist trying to help people cope with a world that can be very challenging.

See also

• Gail E. Wyatt
• bell hooks
• W. E. B. Du Bois
• African-American Studies
• Whiteness Studies