I said this yesterday but it bears repeating: Aiming for diversity is important, but making sure everyone is included is even more important. And when certain groups of people have little representation, then, you show who you really think belongs in American religions.
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Also, I deeply appreciate when a conference balances their program regarding gender. But, race can't be ignored. And Black scholars shouldn't be left out.
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Apologies are important. But, apologies alone aren't enough. What is this conference going to do to make sure Black scholars are included (if it happens again)? What are the folks on the program going to do after this?
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Are folks involved in this conference just going to hope this blows over & everyone stops paying attention? Or will they really sit with the fact that this conferences makes it appear that American religions scholars are mostly white people?
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What really frustrates me is that many people already assume anything with "American" in the title defaults to white people. And this conference, intentionally or not, doesn't represent the diversity that it could.
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So, what I want to happen is for organizers & participants to take a moment & really consider what the conference suggests about American religions & who's included, or not, in discussions of our field.
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Because being okay with white scholars & more white scholars is a statement, intended or not, about how you feel about diversity & inclusion. It's a statement about who you think matters in the field of American religions. It's statement about belonging & not belonging.
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It's a statement about what you think American religions scholarship *really* entails. It's a statement about what you think a *real* American religions scholar looks like.
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I wanted to suggest in this thread that white people dominated the conference line-up. What happened, instead, is that my tweets made it seem like there are no scholars of color, which isn't true. I should have been more careful. I am sorry for the pain I caused.
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I appreciate these critiques and there are indeed problems with the roster. But let me point out, as a Black man, the additional violence I experience when you erase me by suggesting there are none of us here.
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Hi Joylon, I am sorry for the erasure and the pain it has caused. That is entirely my fault. I wasn't trying to suggest the conference was all-white because I had conversations yesterday with various folks about the line-up. But, that is how I came across. I'm so sorry.
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