ÂÌñÒùÆÞ

ÂÌñÒùÆÞ seeks volunteers for a Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This Task Force will be comprised of 10-12 ÂÌñÒùÆÞ members to be selected by Oct. 1, 2020. We will ask the Task Force to present a preliminary report on next steps directions to take at the spring 2021 Board of Trustees’ meeting. The Task Force will work with ÂÌñÒùÆÞ leadership and the Chairs Coordinating Council (CCC) in helping revise the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ Strategic Plan. The full charge to the Task Force is posted on the ÂÌñÒùÆÞ web site. The summary charge is as follows:

We archaeologists, ancient historians, and philologists who make up the professional membership of ÂÌñÒùÆÞ study the origins, growth, and transformations of systemically unequal social orders in the past, and we have a duty to use our knowledge to fight the perpetuation of oppressive systems in the present. To that end, the Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will seek out methods and recommend programs through which ÂÌñÒùÆÞ can recruit and support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) members by (1) identifying partners in community organizations and institutions; (2) creating fundraising initiatives for scholarships that promote BIPOC participation at meetings and in the field; (3) recommending sensitivity training programs for ÂÌñÒùÆÞ leadership; and (4) collaborating with all ÂÌñÒùÆÞ committees and leadership to integrate these objectives across all areas of our new strategic plan.

Those interested in serving on the task force should contact the Chair, Erin Darby (edarby1@utk.edu). We hope to have the task force determined by Oct. 1, 2020.