TY - JOUR
T1 - Racism, structural racism, and the American Association for Anatomy
T2 - Initial report from a task force
AU - Sumner, Dale R.
AU - Hildebrandt, Sabine
AU - Nesbitt, Allison
AU - Carroll, Melissa A.
AU - Smocovitis, Vassiliki B.
AU - Laitman, Jeffrey T.
AU - Beresheim, Amy C.
AU - Ramnanan, Christopher J.
AU - Blakey, Michael L.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Dominic Hall, curator of the Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard Medical School, for pointing to Lamb (1897). The authors also thank Keli Hughes, Administrative Coordinator for the AAA, for providing logistical support for the task force and Liz Phares, Senior Membership Services Manager for the AAA for providing current demographic data, and Shawn Boynes, Executive Director for the AAA for his overall guidance. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Association for Anatomy.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - In 2021, the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) Board of Directors appointed a Task Force on Structural Racism to understand how the laws, rules, and practices in which the Association formed, developed and continues to exist affect membership and participation. This commentary is the first public report from the Task Force. We focus on African Americans with some comments on Jews and women, noting that all marginalized groups deserve study. Through much of its 130 year history, some members were an essential part of perpetuating racist ideas, the Association largely ignored racism and had some practices that prevented participation. The Task Force concluded that individual and structural racism within the AAA, combined with the broader social context in which the Association developed, contributed to the current underrepresentation of African Americans who constitute 4.1% of the membership even though 13.4% of the U.S. population is Black. Intentional efforts within the AAA to reckon with racism and other forms of bias have only begun in the last 10–20 years. These actions have led to more diverse leadership within the Association, and it is hoped that these changes will positively affect the recruitment and retention of marginalized people to science in general and anatomy in particular. The Task Force recommends that the AAA Board issue a statement of responsibility to acknowledge its history. Furthermore, the Task Force advocates that the Board commit to (a) sustaining ongoing projects to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion and (b) dedicating additional resources to facilitate novel initiatives.
AB - In 2021, the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) Board of Directors appointed a Task Force on Structural Racism to understand how the laws, rules, and practices in which the Association formed, developed and continues to exist affect membership and participation. This commentary is the first public report from the Task Force. We focus on African Americans with some comments on Jews and women, noting that all marginalized groups deserve study. Through much of its 130 year history, some members were an essential part of perpetuating racist ideas, the Association largely ignored racism and had some practices that prevented participation. The Task Force concluded that individual and structural racism within the AAA, combined with the broader social context in which the Association developed, contributed to the current underrepresentation of African Americans who constitute 4.1% of the membership even though 13.4% of the U.S. population is Black. Intentional efforts within the AAA to reckon with racism and other forms of bias have only begun in the last 10–20 years. These actions have led to more diverse leadership within the Association, and it is hoped that these changes will positively affect the recruitment and retention of marginalized people to science in general and anatomy in particular. The Task Force recommends that the AAA Board issue a statement of responsibility to acknowledge its history. Furthermore, the Task Force advocates that the Board commit to (a) sustaining ongoing projects to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion and (b) dedicating additional resources to facilitate novel initiatives.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125109239&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ar.24903
DO - 10.1002/ar.24903
M3 - Article
C2 - 35226417
AN - SCOPUS:85125109239
VL - 305
SP - 772
EP - 787
JO - Anatomical Record
JF - Anatomical Record
SN - 1932-8486
IS - 4
ER -