Following the leadership of the Black Geographies, Indigenous Peoples, Latinx Geographies and Queer and Trans Geographies Specialty Groups, the Animal Geographies Specialty Group expresses its solidarity with our Black colleagues and students, as well as Black communities and activists/protesters who stand against racialized state violence, anti-Black systemic racism and police brutality.
The events of recent months—both the disproportionate impact of the COVID crisis on communities of color and the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others—have, once again, exposed how the violence and oppression of white supremacy in our nation’s founding remains a destructive force for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities at both state and federal levels. In addition, the recent racial attack on Black birder Christopher Cooper in NYC by a white woman adds to the long list of incidents where Black people have been harassed for doing everyday things by fellow citizens. To remain silent in the face of these injustices is to continue to be complicit in it.
The AnGSG commits to:
- Sponsor sessions at our annual meeting which explore the intersections among human and nonhuman oppressions;
- Cite and amplify the work of BIPOC colleagues in curriculum and scholarship;
- Actively call out and challenge racism against BIPOC people when we encounter it in our academic institutions and organizations – including our own Specialty Group;
- Press the AAG to include a commitment to anti-racism both in the recent update to the Code of Conduct, and more broadly in all interactions of the Association.
We invite all geographers—especially the members of our Specialty Group—to commit to racial justice in their families, communities, and academic and non-academic workplaces through self-education, group conversations and by supporting, with time and/or money, those organizations working for change.