Wade Nobles facts for kids

Wade W. Nobles is a professor emeritus in the Department of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University and notable pioneer of the African-American psychology movement.

Biography

Nobles' grandparents were born into American slavery. His parents, Annie Mae Cotton and John Nobles, chose the name Wade, meaning "one who is able to tread through difficult matter like mud, snow or ignorance." Nobles earned his PhD in psychology from Stanford University. He is married to Vera Lynn Winmilawe Nokwanda DeMoultrie (PhD), with whom Nobles has five children and 11 grandchildren. Nobles belongs to the Ifá spiritual system.

Academic career

Nobles is the founder and executive director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family, Life and Culture, Inc. in Oakland, California, an independent organization whose sole objective is the betterment of black family life and culture. The institute performs both social work and scientific research. Nobles was a founding member of the Association of Black Psychologists, where he served as national President from 1994 to 1995. An experimental social psychologist, Nobles focuses his research on such topics as African psychology, Black self-concept, African-American family dynamics, and African-centered education, healing, and spirituality. Nobles co-leads the “Enyimnyam Project,” created with the objective of connecting diasporic Africans with Africans from the continent.