The Association for Social Economics (ASE) is a scholarly research association whose members study economic, social, political, and cultural issues to understand and promote human dignity, justice, and the full flourishing of all members of society.
Like all those who share these values, we are horrified by the murder of George Floyd and many other African Americans at the hands of police officers and vigilantes. We support the efforts of those now protesting the perpetuation of police violence against African Americans, and who are also pressing for more fundamental changes to end structural violence in the form of economic deprivation, political marginalization and repression, and systemic injustice. We are deeply concerned by the role of U.S. political leadership in promoting an atmosphere in which structural and direct racial violence is tolerated, and its efforts to disparage and criminalize those now risking their health and well-being to stand up for the rights of all communities.
At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to eliminate explicit and implicit racism in our own Association, and our professions. We must probe how we, too, must reform our practices so as to promote racial equity and justice. We reaffirm our commitment to the Association’s ethical principles, including the obligation to create “a professional environment that promotes free expression, and that supports participation and advancement by individuals from all backgrounds, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented.” When instances of implicit bias emerge, we should be prepared to address these issues without defensiveness or malice.
We are in the middle of the U.N. Decade for people of African Descent. The U.S has certainly failed to address racial injustice in the criminal justice system, the economy, and elsewhere. Academia, too, is saturated with white voices and privilege, racism, and unconscious biases that too often discount the knowledge and research of Black scholars, and research on the structural violence facing Black and other marginalized groups in society.
We must use our privileged platforms to be a solution to the problems of racial and other biases that cause too many voices to go unheard.
Executive Council,
Association for Social Economics
June 8, 2020
