Special Focus Issue 
A couple years ago, I had the privilege to hear something that I'd not heard before: Black Community Psychologists were being left out of the pedagogy and instruction of new CPs. As I reflected on that revelation, I felt two things: 1) it was my privilege as a white woman that protected me from noticing this in my own training, and 2) this has to stop happening. At that point, I reached out to the leadership of SCRA's Council on Cultural, Ethnic and Racial Affairs to see if they would be interested in producing a special issue for the Global Journal. Jesica, Geri, and Dominique graciously agreed and beautifully created this special issue which will be presented in 2 parts, of which this is the first.
Additional reflection has me thinking that while we are increduibly grateful and excited for this special issue, the fact that it is "special" (that is, out of the ordinary) is troubling. This should be the standard. These voices and scholarship and stories should be commonplace because their insights and value are paramount to realizing our potential for creating and sustaining the world we want our children to grow up in. So while I am so proud for the GJCPP to be the vehicle for these phenomenal authors, I also hope it can inspire a shift across publications to making these special issues less special; let's shift so that these issues, these voices, this scholarship is the norm rather than the exception.
I am not nearly as eloquent as the guest editors are in introducing this work. Their introduction is a wonderful description of this issue and the work contained within it. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I do, and that it inspires you as much as it inspires me.
Be well,
Nicole
Nicole M. Freund
Nicole Freund, MA, MBA, PhD
Editor, Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice
Research Scientist, Center for Applied Research and Evaluation
Community Engagement Institute
Wichita State University
editor@gjcpp.org
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Based on a work at www.gjcpp.org. 
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