SfAA Statement on Global Violence, Systemic Racism, and Deep Inequities

June 5, 2020 

We at the Society for Applied Anthropology are saddened and frustrated by the murder of George Floyd and many others. We are concerned about global violence, systemic racism, and deep inequities. The history and acts of racism can no longer be tolerated in our society and SfAA stands as ONE against it in any form. The fact that these types of events continue to happen in our world indicates that we still have a long way to go. As a professional society of applied social scientists committed to respect for human diversity, cultural understanding, and empowerment of all people, we repudiate all forms of hatred in our neighborhoods, communities, and world.

Stating our outrage is not enough. We must all do more to create a safe, just and inclusive world. We resolve to use action-oriented social science to catalyze change. Making change involves many things - personal and professional commitment, active listening, advocacy, teaching, training, policy work and more. Collaboration, grassroots and community-based efforts are key here. SfAA will continue to be a hub for meaningful conversation and sharing knowledge, resources and networks. All of this can and will contribute to social justice work in many different local and global contexts.

• At SfAA, we embrace this challenge to work for a more just and inclusive world. We will support our members and others in the following ways:
• Applied research, on such topics as policing, labor rights, immigration, climate, education, and poverty
• Advocacy about such issues as health disparities and health care reform in the context of COVID-19
• Teaching, about such issues as structural violence and systemic racism
• Workshops to help people at different career moments build their “activist toolkits” – such as how to work with the media and do public advocacy; rapid responses using anthropological knowledge and skills in emergencies
• Building collaborative relationships with other professional organizations on human rights initiatives
• Supporting student members doing important work on social justice with, for example, the Human Rights Defender Award
• Ethical oversight over SfAA practices and how we interact with others
• Ensuring our Society’s membership reflects global diversity

At the SfAA, we embrace this challenge to work for a more just and inclusive world. We look forward to collaborating and connecting applied social scientists and others to address the urgent and important challenges that lasting change demands. Let us work together to make a just world.