Assistant Professor Antoine M. Salvador, PsyD, Tapped for City’s Black Men and Boys Commission

Advancing equity, opportunity, and empowerment among historically underserved groups is a top priority for Antoine M. Salvador, PsyD, Assistant Professor, Counseling and Behavioral Health Department. The Lynn native and 2017 graduate of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program was recently appointed to the City’s Black Men and Boys Commission. Housed within Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office of Black Male Advancement, the Commission strives to improve outcomes and reduce systemic barriers to advancement for Black men and boys living in Boston—giving Salvador a chance to help the next generation envision their potential.

“Representation goes hand in hand with mentorship and provides young Black and brown boys with an opportunity to see themselves doing many different things,” says Salvador, recalling those mentors who impacted his life. He credits James Runner, his varsity football coach at St. Mary’s High School, with influencing him both on and off the field. An early-career coach at the time, Runner modeled what it looked like to simultaneously pursue a college degree and pay it forward with his time. 

“I couldn’t wait to be in a position to do the same thing,” recalls Salvador whose induction took place on September 29. Among the Commission’s 21 new members, a breadth of community roles is represented—ranging from law student, church pastor, and vice-chair of the NAACP to college professor, nonprofit leader, and small-business owner; Salvador is the only mental health worker.

Team Approach

“All of us together can help young people tackle barriers, regardless of whether or not we experienced them, and work to uplift the entire community in the process,” says Salvador of the all-hands-on-deck approach. In Salvador’s professional journey, he is grateful for his mentors. Dissertation chair Modesto Jesus Hevia, PsyD, Associate Professor, was the only man of color teaching in the Clinical PsyD program during Salvador’s time as a doctoral student; Jonathan Jenkins, PsyD, CMPC, a clinical and sport psychologist, served as discussant during Salvador’s dissertation; and Robert Lewis Jr., current Nicholas President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and founder of The BASE (a nationally acclaimed organization that revolutionized urban youth development by leveraging sports to create pathways to higher education and meaningful careers) modeled the importance of creating a foundation for future success. 

First Steps

In his new role, Salvador is keen on bringing the conversation back to the basics. “Before we start discussing advancement, we must first ensure that fundamental needs—for housing, food, and healthcare—are being met in order to create a foundation on which we can build,” says Salvador, underscoring that mental health is inextricably linked to whole health. 

In addition to serving on a pair of committees, Health and Wellness and Fatherhood and Families, Salvador is excited to partner with the City’s inaugural chief behavioral health officer. Since his appointment in June 2022, Kevin Simon, MD, MPH, has been creating public health strategies to support the growing behavioral and mental health needs in Massachusetts. The two men—both of whom identify as Black and Haitian—share a vision for improving the behavioral workforce pathway, increasing equitable access to mental health and behavioral care, and mitigating social systems that prevent people from meeting their basic needs.

 “The need for culturally competent clinicians and clinicians of color—who are not only passionate but who also understand the needs of underserved populations—persists,” says Salvador who looks forward to connecting, collaborating, consulting, and providing education—skills he honed at William James College.

The Foundation

Since his own time as a graduate student, Salvador has seen a steady increase in the number of Black and brown students across the board —a promising trend he attributes to the Black Mental Health Graduate Academy. Since its inception in 2016, the academic pipeline program—designed to recruit, mentor, and support Black students in master's and doctoral degree programs—has provided critical mentorship, career orientation, skill building, and professional enrichment to 80 Academy Scholars.

“Dr. Salvador’s dedication to the Black Mental Health Graduate Academy's mission runs deep,” said Dr. Natalie Cort, PhD, Director, Black Mental Health Graduate Academy and Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health in an email announcing her colleague’s appointment to the Commission. Cort pointed to Salvador as playing a critical role in developing the Academy while a student; contributing to its early and continued success by recruiting and mentoring fellow Black students who felt isolated on campus and invalidated in the field; and continuing to make a difference by generously serving as an Academy Faculty Mentor to a new generation of Scholars. “The Academy is profoundly grateful for his continued leadership and new role in the Mayor's vital initiative supporting Black men and boys across Boston,” Cort added.

Looking Ahead

 Established in 2022, the City’s Black Men and Boys Commission connects community leaders, educators and advocates with city officials to address long-standing inequities through programs, research and outreach; it holds public meetings on the first Wednesday of every month. Mayor Wu sees it as, “critical in our work to make Boston a home for everyone.”

 To that aim, a new endeavor is underway: The first ever Equity Survey, aimed at identifying the scope of inequities impacting Black males in Boston; the data, which is being collected through October 31, will ultimately guide the development and evaluation of targeted programs and policies.

Meanwhile, Salvador and his colleagues on the commission will continue to serve as 21 diverse iterations of what it looks like to be a Black man in Metro Boston—something he hopes will increase access and opportunity for all.

“If young Black and brown people do not see folks who look like them actively contributing to the community at large—as a firefighter, military personnel, politician or even an accountant for the Red Sox or Celtics—it makes accessing opportunity harder than it needs to be.” 

• Tags:
• In the Community