Anti-Racism Principles

SRA continually strives to enact antiracist principles, policies, and practices to support our membership, and in the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge that benefits adolescents across the globe. We define antiracism as working towards dismantling systems that result in an inequitable distribution of power, privilege, and resources leading to the marginalization and disempowerment of minoritized communities. Historically, racism is rooted in the unfair and discriminatory treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) across the globe to maintain White supremacy. We consider all policies and practices that privilege some groups while disenfranchising others to be targets of antiracist practices and policies and thus we apply our definition to other forms of marginalization and disempowerment (e.g., LGBTQ, religious minorities). Marginalization is evident in all aspects of scientific endeavors from the lived experiences of the adolescents, families and communities who are impacted by unfair policies and biased practices, to the methods that are viewed as rigorous, to the funding of scientific inquiry, to how information is disseminated, and to the incentive structure in academia. 

To combat this marginalization, SRA convened an Anti-Racism Task Force to supplement the work of the Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice Committee. The goal of the Task Force was to provide programmatic resources advocating for equity, targeting racism as a public health concern, supporting anti-racism work, and providing support for scholars from marginalized groups. Learn more about the Anti-Racist Task Force activities here. 

Area 1: The Task Force will examine operating procedures to ensure social justice and equity in:
  1. SRA’s policies and practices (e.g., formation of committees)
  2. SRA conference program and activities
  3. Journal of Research on Adolescence review process and publications
  4. SRA’s website, communication, and social media presence
Area 2: The Task Force will support SRA members by:
  1. Identifying opportunities to increase awareness and action toward anti-racism among SRA members
  2. Leveraging SRA’s influence and support SRA members towards the goals of uprooting White supremacy within academic institutions (e.g. service load distributions, hiring and tenure review processes) and scholarship processes (publication processes, grant-making processes)
Area 3: The Task Force will be guided by a public-facing mission that aims to:
  1. Bring awareness to ways in which White supremacy impacts adolescents across the globe
  2. Highlight how families, schools, neighborhoods, and communities can support the development of anti-racism in adolescents 
  3. Provide the public with scientifically grounded evidence-based recommendations for research, policies, and promising approaches for supporting minoritized adolescents, families, and communities