August 2025
Happy August!
Earlier this month, Mindbridge was proud to attend the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual conference in Denver, Colorado! There, we connected with leading researchers, practitioners, and advocates. As the nation's leading nonprofit using brain and behavioral science to empower human rights defenders, our team was so energized by the conversations and collaborations sparked this year!
Additionally, we presented new research from the Mindbridge Countering Extremism Directive (CED) exploring women’s roles in far-right extremism. Using Significance Quest Theory as our primary framework, our research suggests that people’s drive for personal significance can make them vulnerable to extremist narratives.
Looking ahead toward the fall, the Mindbridge Institute is excited to share that we are looking for new partnerships and collaborations! If your organization is interested in partnering with the Institute or learning more about our recent programming, we’d love to hear from you! We're deeply grateful to the partners who have trusted us in this work, and we’re excited to continue building alongside new collaborators in the months ahead.
Onward,
The Mindbridge Team
The Mindbridge team is so excited to share that our Executive Director, Dr. Asia Eaton, has received the 2025 Citizen Psychologist Award from Div 1 of the APA! Division 1 of the American Psychological Association is the Society for General Psychology & Interdisciplinary Inquiry.
APA Citizen Psychologists serve as multidisciplinary leaders in their communities through volunteerism, public service, and other strategic roles meant to better the lives of community members. By bringing their psychological expertise to address novel challenges, these changemakers work to improve the wellbeing of communities.
Congratulations Asia on this momentous accomplishment!
In other exciting news: Mindbridge is launching a podcast!
Coming soon to Substack and all major streaming platforms, our new podcast will explore the intersection of brain and behavioral science with the fight for human rights. Expect powerful conversations with researchers, activists, and advocates working at the frontlines of change.
Stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to our Substack so you don’t miss an episode!
Save the Date: October 30 at 2 PM (EST)
We’re excited to offer a new public course this fall—an hour-long session designed to build on insights from past offerings and speak directly to the urgent conversations happening in our communities and across the country.
Rooted in Mindbridge’s approach of applying behavioral science to human rights, this course will invite thoughtful reflection and dialogue. It will be open to all on a pay-what-you-can basis. Topic details are coming soon, but we hope you’ll mark your calendar and join us.
I Am A Human Rights Defender
Shana Wilson
Human rights defenders seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights
as well as the promotion, protection and realization of economic, social + cultural rights.
- OHCHR
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Shana Wilson is the oldest of many siblings—an experience that naturally shaped her heart for helping others, building empathy, and forming strong, healthy connections.
From a young age, she felt drawn to working with youth, but rather than heading straight into education, Shana pursued the legal field, earning dual bachelor's degrees in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Through internships with family, juvenile, and criminal court systems, she gained invaluable insight into the lives of young people navigating incredibly complex and unique circumstances. Eventually, her path led to social work, where Shana deepened her commitment to youth advocacy and leadership.
“That chapter of my life revealed so much about my purpose, and ultimately guided me into education. Now entering my sixth year as a teacher, I’ve taught students from 6th to 12th grade in subjects like History, Critical Thinking, and Law Studies. Every day in the classroom reaffirms that this is the most meaningful work I’ve ever done. My upbringing, education, and career have all come full circle—each experience adding to my ability to not just teach, but truly connect with and empower the next generation” ”
Program Recap
We’re wrapping up a powerful season of collaboration with organizations at the intersection of gender, reproductive equity, and democracy. These partnerships have underscored the value of applying behavioral science to movement work, providing leaders and practitioners with shared language, more profound understanding of their communities and those they are trying to reach, and practical tools to sustain their efforts. This approach not only fosters individual and organizational resilience but also strengthens connection and alignment across movements and coalitions.
On the RED side of things, our team has transitioned into – and launched! – an exciting set of collaborations with support from the Mindbridge Institute. As mentioned before, our new, project-centered program will focus on creating or improving sustainable research structures with other nonprofits. Our collective focus will be in efforts towards gender equity, reproductive justice, health care accessibility, and voter engagement.
August also kicks off grant application season for the RED. Our team, in partnership with team members in the Healing Racial Trauma Initiative (HRTI) and the CED, is preparing to submit several grants in the coming months to support future research initiatives.
As the summer draws to a close, we can safely say that we are settling into the rapid growth that we saw at the beginning of this year. Our team has reflected on all the support we’ve received and we look forward to what the rest of this year has to offer, especially following the amazing presentation we had at the APA in Denver!
This past month has been busy for the HRTI team! We are excited to welcome a new member to our team, Lalee Awad! Lalee will be our HRTI Circle Facilitator here to bring compassion, support, and his racial healing expertise into our upcoming programming. As we uplift diverse forms of healing and work toward unpacking racial trauma, we are thrilled to bring in a new and fresh perspective into our new programming this coming fall.
As summer comes to an end, we are not only growing our Advisory Committee but in partnership with the RED department we have been putting together materials for grant applications to support our efforts. In the month to come we are eager to launch new programming and welcome you to engage and sign up at our website.
“Trauma isn’t destiny. The body, not the thinking brain, is where we experience most of our pain, pleasure, and joy, and where we process most of what happens to us. It is also where we do most of our healing, including our emotional and psychological healing. And it is where we experience resilience and a sense of flow.”
“We will not end white-body supremacy - or any form of human evil - by trying to tear it to pieces. Instead, we can offer people better ways to belong and better things to belong to.”
Happenings & Events
Upcoming Days of Observance:
8/1: Transgender History Month
In the United States, transgender history month is celebrated throughout California during the month of August in reflection of San Francisco's 1966 Compton Cafeteria riot. Happening three years before Stonewall, this was one of the first major examples of collective trans activism and resistance against oppression in American history. Transgender History Month is a powerful reminder to celebrate gender diversity and stand up for human rights.
8/9: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
Since 1994, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples has been recognized by the United Nations on August 9th to honor the resilience of Indigenous communities, protect their rights, and raise awareness of the challenges continually faced in the pursuit of justice, equality, and self-determination. Though only making up about 6% of the world's population, Indigenous people speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent over 5,000 different cultures.
8/19: World Humanitarian Day
Whether they are attempting to distribute food or medicine in Palestine, running field hospitals in Sudan, or keeping supply chains active in Ukraine - humanitarian workers (and the people they serve) deserve protection and support highlighted under the Geneva Conventions. The UN recognizes August 19th as World Humanitarian day to call for an end to the violence, holding perpetrators accountable, and upholding the human rights of all people.
8/26: Women’s Equality Day
On August 26th, 1920 the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was certified. While this amendment made significant strides for women's right to vote, it is important to note that women of color were largely excluded from this amendment until the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We must also remember that gender equality is not just about voting rights, it's about achieving justice for all people facing intersecting forms of oppression. Women’s rights are human rights, and there is still much work to be done in the current landscape.
8/28 Anniversary of the March on Washington
Sixty-two years ago, Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I have a Dream Speech” at the Lincoln Memorial for a crowd of nearly 250,000 people during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This monumental rally was a pivotal moment in the U.S. civil rights movement, inspiring a powerful call for justice, equality, and an end to racial discrimination. As we reflect on the legacy of that march, including the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we must continue to push to ensure that Dr. King’s dream of a truly equal society becomes a reality for all.
8/30 International Day of the Disappeared
August 30th recognizes those who have been disappeared, a frequent strategy to spread terror within a society. Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents.
