Meet the Woman Diversifying Psychedelic Culture

Research shows promising findings for the treatment of PTSD, intergenerational trauma, depression, and more. However, the vast majority of academic studies have not included communities of color as researchers or participants.

Ifetayo Harvey, the founder of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective, is looking to make the world of psychedelics more diverse.

In September, Ann Arbor joined the ranks of U.S. cities to decriminalize psychedelic plants and mushrooms.

The move to decriminalize follows a multi-decade renewed interest in researching the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of psychedelic substances including psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca, ketamine, and LSD.


Click the audio player above to hear Ifetayo Harvey discuss why the work her organization is doing is important for the future of psychedelic culture.  


Research shows promising findings for the treatment of PTSD, intergenerational trauma, depression, and more.

However, the vast majority of academic studies have not included communities of color as researchers or participants.  

That’s a huge problem, says Ifetayo Harvey. She’s the founder of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective, a group working to make the field of psychedelic treatment and culture more inclusive.

Harvey says she began the Collective after publishing an essay critiquing the psychedelic community’s longtime failure to address racism.

“[The psychedelic community] been so white for so long,” Harvey says.

She says one of the POC Psychedelic Collective’s goals is to create intentional healing spaces for people of color to talk about and explore psychedelic substances.

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Author

  • Amanda LeClaire
    Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. She’s a founding producer of WDET’s flagship news talk show Detroit Today, and a former host/reporter for Arizona Public Media. Amanda is also an artist, certified intuitive and energy healer, and professional tarot reader.