William E. Cross, Jr.

William E. Cross, Jr.
Born	William E. Cross, Jr. Evanston, Illinois-United States
Alma mater	University of Denver (BA) Princeton University (Ph.D)
Known for	Clinical psychology, Nigrescence Model, Racial identity development
Scientific career
Fields	Clinical psychology Africana Studies
Institutions	Princeton University, Cornell University, Penn State University, City University of New York, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Denver

University of Denver (BA)

William E. Cross, Jr., Ph.D. is a leading theorist and researcher in the field of ethnic identity development, specifically Black identity development. He is best known for his Nigrescence Model, first detailed in a 1971 publication, and his book, Shades of Black, published in 1991. Dr. Cross’ Nigrescence Model expanded upon the work of other Black psychologists that came before him, and created an important foundation for racial/ethnic identity psychology. It has proved a sensible and available framework for both individual and collective social change. Throughout his career, Cross was largely concerned with racial/ethnic identity theory and the negative effects of Western thought and science on the psychology of Black Americans, and specifically the need for “psychological liberation under conditions of oppression.”

Bill Cross, the son of Bill and Margaret Cross, attended McCosh Elementary School in Chicago. He graduated from Evanston Township High School (ETHS) in Evanston, IL in 1959. Four of his siblings also attended ETHS but Bill was the only child of Bill and Margaret Cross to attend college.

Cross received a BA in psychology from Denver University in 1963. While at DU, Cross was the President of the Alpha Chapter of Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity. Here, he met Badi Foster, who would later become his best man and lifelong friend and mentor. While at DU, Cross seriously questioned his religious beliefs and eventually denounced God because he couldn’t explain slavery or the Holocaust. These revelations influenced his later work, especially the transition stage of his model (Immersion-Emersion). Cross worked on his masters in clinical psychology at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he became familiar with the stages of therapy during clinical training. Although he never completed his masters, this therapy-process perspective influenced his later work and is evident in his work with process and developmental stage. It is also important to note that during this time (the 60’s), there was a resurgence of Black nationalism, forging the way for a Black Power Movement. This politically heated timeframe set the stage for, and encouraged, Black professionals to realize their roles within a traditionally White-oriented professional environment, and to begin to openly question the White-dominance in many fields. Around this time, in 1968, the Association of Black Psychologists (ABP) was founded, and its members came “to the realization that they are Black people first and psychologists second.”

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