Social Science Education Consortium Unapologetically Supports and Promotes
Efforts to Actively Counter Injustices Related to Implicit Bias,
Systemic Racism, and Police Brutality in All Forms and Manifestations
SSEC condemns the continuous acts of violence—most ostensibly in the form of police brutality—committed against Black members of our country. The untimely, unnecessary, and senseless deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have sparked unprecedented outrage and protest around the world, and yet the killing of Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, as well as the repugnant acts of hatred towards those of the Black Lives Matter movement, prove that the oppressive power of racism is systemic, pervasive, and institutionalized in our society. As an organization, we stand together to affirm that Black lives matter, and we commit to actively dismantle barriers related to race-based oppression. We call on SSEC members, educators, and social scientists to counter injustice in all its forms, manifestations, and intersections. We advocate for engagement in collective action to advance policies seeking equity. We challenge us all, therefore, to be antiracists and agents of social justice.
Recognizing SSEC’s mission to provide leadership in social sciences education, we advocate for antiracist curriculum in schools and for social justice in our policies and actions. We promote an interdisciplinary examination of our world—using the social sciences of history, civics, sociology, economics, geography psychology, and anthropology—to identify both the roots of racism and the tools to dismantle it. While recommending resources for educators, we seek to honor and amplify — first and foremost — the voices, insights, and lived experiences of those historically marginalized in our respective schools, districts, and universities. Let us strive to rebuild our democracy from a foundation of antiracist and inclusive teaching and learning that prepare young people for long and productive lives in our pluralistic society.
Adopted by the SSEC Board of Directors on June 16, 2020