[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1141-E1142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING DR. WADE W. NOBLES & THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF 
                  BLACK FAMILY LIFE AND CULTURE, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life 
and achievements of Dr. Wade W. Nobles of Oakland California, and the 
organization he founded, The Institute for the Advanced Study of Black 
Family Life and Culture, Inc. This month our community comes together 
to celebrate the Institute's 25th anniversary, and to recognize the 
groundbreaking work of its founder.
  Dr. Nobles is a prominent theoretical scientist in the field of 
African Psychology and is one of the leading researchers in the area of 
Black family life and culture. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford 
University, and has a special interest in the social, ethnic and 
cultural relativity of social science, research and evaluation models.
  Dr. Nobles is a full-time, tenured professor in the Department of 
Black Studies in the School of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State 
University. He is also the founder and director of the Center for 
Applied Cultural Studies and Educational Achievement (CACSEA), a 
California State University System educational research center 
dedicated to studying and developing models of culturally consistent 
educational methods.
  In 1980 Dr. Nobles founded the Institute for the Advanced Study of 
Black Family Life and Culture, Inc. to address overarching issues of 
human development and transformation, while simultaneously developing 
and implementing educational and informational systems. As the 
Institute's Executive Director, Dr. Nobles has written and conducted 
over 67 funded, community-based research, training and development 
projects, including the HAWK Manhood Development and Transformation 
Rites of Passage Training Centers Program, which has over 15 sites 
throughout the U.S.
  Dr. Nobles' work is widely known and respected, and in recognition of 
this he has been invited to serve on a number of advisory groups for 
the California state and federal governments. He has served as a 
delegate to the White House Conference on Families, and was also a 
member of the President's Commission on Mental Health. Furthermore, Dr. 
Nobles was appointed to serve on the California State Commission on the 
Status of African-American Males, a commission I created and presided 
over as a member of the California State Assembly in the mid-1990s.
  Also contributing to the success and innovations of the Institute are 
Dr. Nobles' various professional and international affiliations. He was 
a founding member of the Association of Black Psychologists, an 
organization in which he has served as President and received numerous 
awards, such as Distinguished Psychologist of the Year. Furthermore, in 
the course of his research he has traveled widely, particularly in 
Africa. In 1996 he received the high honor of being enstooled as the 
Nkwasohene of Akwasiho-Kwahu Region of Ghana in West Africa, where he 
works very closely with the Akwasiho people on development issues.

[[Page E1142]]

  On June 3, 4 & 5, 2005, we join together to celebrate the life and 
accomplishments of Dr. Nobles, as well as the impact his work and the 
work of the Institute have had on our society and institutions of 
higher learning. Structuring our education and socialization systems in 
a way that acknowledges the cultural background of the students that 
are to benefit from them is crucial to the intellectual and social 
development of our young people. Dr. Nobles' research, teachings and 
programs have truly revolutionized the way that education and 
development are now approached, and have made productive and happy 
lives possible for countless students who would not otherwise have had 
that opportunity. On behalf of the 9th Congressional District, I salute 
and thank Dr. Wade W. Nobles for his service to the Bay Area, the State 
of California, our country and the world.

                          ____________________