34th Annual MLK Health Sciences Lecture

Event Program Welcome and Introduction Daicia Price Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Director History Moment Patricia W. Coleman-Burns Assistant Professor of Nursing Emerita Affiliated Faculty – Department of Afroamerican and African Studies Opening Remarks Beth Angell Dean and Philip Fellin Collegiate Professor Introduction of Speaker Joseph Pearson-Green MSW Student Director, Black Radical Healing Pathways Lecture David Archer Father and Anti-Racist Psychotherapist Q & A with audience Reception and Book Signing

The MLK Health Sciences Lecture is hosted this year by the School of Social Work, with additional sponsorship from the other schools and units who participate in the U-M Health Sciences community: School of Dentistry; School of Kinesiology; Michigan Medicine; Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research; School of Nursing; College of Pharmacy and the School of Public Health. Additional sponsors include U-M’s Office of the Chief Health Officer, the School of Social Work’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the School’s Vivian A. and James L. Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training.

Martin Luther King, Hill Auditorium, November 5, 1962

34th Annual MLK Health Sciences Lecture with David Archer Monday, January 15, 2024 Transforming the Jangling Discords of Our Nation into a Beautiful Symphony: Healing Through a Rhythmic Beat

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace, I was a drum major for righteousness, and all the other shallow things will not matter.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER David Archer is a father and an antiracist psychotherapist from Montreal, Canada.

As an approved EMDR consultant and specialist in treating complex trauma, Archer operates a full-time private practice, working virtually with clinicians and organizations globally. He brings a wealth of experience, with 10 years in software engineering and 15 years in social work, community support, and psychotherapy.

Registered as a social worker and marriage and family therapist, he is also the developer of an integrative clinical framework named Rhythm and Processing Strategies designed to eliminate the mental health consequences of racial trauma.

In addition to developing culturally responsive interventions, Archer has presented at conferences for the EMDR International Association and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. As a keynote speaker, he conducts workshops and presentations on complex trauma and leadership, aiming to increase the number of Black therapists, anti-racist psychotherapists, and revolutionary mental health practitioners.

Archer is the author of five books: “AntiRacist Psychotherapy,” “Black Meditation,” “Racial Trauma Recovery,” “Black Mountain” and his latest, “Transforming Complex Trauma: Reflections on Anti-Racist Psychotherapy.” He is trained in EMDR therapy, Brainspotting, EFT, and other mind-body strategies, employing memory reconsolidation and neurobiologically informed intervention methods. His additional clinical interests include helping those affected by minority stress, addictions, relational conflict and eating disorders. He is an ardent advocate for the LGBTQ+ community as well as Black, Indigenous and other oppressed people worldwide.

The U-M Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives coordinates the university’s MLK Symposium, which offers a wide range of events. This is one of the largest celebrations of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sponsored by colleges and universities in the nation.

For more information on the university’s MLK Symposium, please visit:

Please visit the MLK Health Science website for a list of additional events that foster continued learning and growth.