Shame! ACA President responds weakly! ACA Doesn't want to be involved. ACT NOW!
I have finally received an email response from the ACA president, although it was quite disappointing. I have included his correspondence below, followed by my response back. I am asking you all to continue sharing this petition. We need many more signatures to show the ACA that people locally and internationally, who our counseling profession are supposed to serve and advocate for, believe that a ceasefire is a mental health issue! In the next few days I will work on an email template that can be sent to ACA members automatically, and will send it to signers through an update on change.org. Thank you all again for your continued support!
ACA president:
"I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Thank your message. Due to ongoing global conflicts, we know that these are difficult and heart wrenching times right now. ACA is a U.S.-based professional organization and as such, we aren’t taking a stance on politically driven issues that do not tie to the organization’s mission. We recognize that there are opinions and positions that individual members have the right to openly express, however, ACA represents many who come from a broad variety of backgrounds. We are being more intentional in how we issue mission aligned statements."
My response:
"I appreciate your response, however, I have a few questions to ask in return.
(1) If the ACA is a US based organization that does not take stances on politically driven issues, what is the reason the ACA felt so strongly about acting in response to Apartheid South Africa, when it adopted the Sullivan Principles, as mentioned in this article: "Given the counseling profession’s commitment to social justice, the ACA board felt strongly about ending apartheid in South Africa. To demonstrate its support, ACA’s board voted to place its investments only with corporations that agreed to the Sullivan principles. Many organizations eventually took similar actions, but I like to think that our association really did put its money where its mouth was." ~ https://ct.counseling.org/2014/01/still-inspiring-us-to-reach-beyond-our-abilities/
(2) If the ACA felt so strongly about ending apartheid in South Africa, why don't they feel so strongly about ending it for Palestine, as Israel's system of occupation has been called apartheid by major human rights organizations such as Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Israeli human rights organization B'tselem.
(3) If the ACA does not take stances on politically driven issues, why then was the ACA able to issue a clear condemnation of the Russian incursion into Ukraine, as written on the ACA's European Branch website: https://www.eb-aca.org/
"As advocates of the emotional needs of all people, along with our commitment to social justice, ACA stands with people and organizations of conscience around the world in condemning the ongoing, unprovoked Russian incursion into Ukraine. This invasion has already resulted in the loss of innocent lives and uprooted hundreds of thousands of innocent Ukrainians from their homes."
Are Palestinians not part of the "all people" picture? Have Palestinians not been uprooted in the millions?
(4) If I'm not mistaken, part of the ACA's mission, as mentioned in many statements above, is commitment to social justice for ALL people, as outlined in the ACA webpage here: https://www.counseling.org/about-us/about-aca/our-mission
(5) The ACA has an International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling division whose purpose is: "To enhance the quality of life for people and communities worldwide by promoting the development of professional counselors; by advancing the ideals of the American Counseling Association, the counseling profession, and the ethical practice of counseling through trauma-informed practices; and, by nurturing respect for human dignity, cultural inclusivity, and resilience." https://www.iartc.org/
(6) As a US based professional organization, what is the reason you have failed to provide more specific resources for Palestinian/Arab mental health, when there is a sharp and violent rise in anti-Palestinian/Arab sentiment in the country, which has led to multiple violent, and at least one deadly incident so far.
(6) It is absolutely shameful that you even term what is a human rights struggle and a humanitarian crisis as a politically driven issue. It seems to me the ACA tends to commit to social justice when it is trendy. But when actual courage is required to stand against the tide of widespread dehumanization, the ACA decides to pass on the opportunity to truly stand for its values and its so-called commitment to social justice for all people.
While I appreciate your correspondence, the reasons you give me are disingenuous excuses to shield the ACA from the difficult task of truly speaking up when it matters the most. My petition will continue, and it will be up to the ACA leadership to decide if they want to be remembered in history for fully defending human rights, or shying away out of fears from those who prefer to dehumanize some people at the expense of others. "