The Anti-Racism Taskforce (“the Taskforce”), established by SRCD’s Governing Council, was formally expanded in December 2022 and began its work in January 2023. Led by co-chairs Drs. Alaina Brenick and Leondra Onnie Rogers, the Taskforce, is charged with identifying actionable and sustainable ways in which Society leadership, organizational structures, policies, practices, programs, members, and outreach efforts, can be actively anti-racist. The Taskforce has two immediate aims:
- Create a research-based definition of anti-racism and an on-line glossary of key terms (e.g., anti-racism, white supremacy, diversity) to facilitate communication about anti-racism in science. These definitions will be formally adopted so that the Society can leverage its positionality to promote equitable developmental science.
- Refine the Society’s anti-racism guiding principles and detailing a brief sociohistorical explanation for why such principles are necessary. This framework will guide the creation of an implementation and accountability plan for the Society.
The Taskforce plans to have drafts of its definitions, implementation, and accountability plans available to the membership in early 2024 for public comment before they are finalized by April 2024.
Future Taskforce work will include critically examining SRCD’s history, conducting an assessment of existing policies and operations, and creating an accountability plan with identifiable ways to ensure that the definition and mission of anti-racist developmental science are deeply embedded in our work as an organization moving forward. The Taskforce aims to develop an accountability system to track our progress and ensure that the improvements and progress made are measurable and endure into the future.