The purpose of this working group is to set up mechanisms for the AAA that will allow it, with CMIA support, to track the historical and contemporary trajectory of racialized police brutality and extrajudicial violence in the United States, and to develop resources for applying anthropological knowledge and expertise to public debate and to activities aimed at reducing such violence and mitigating its impacts.
Specifically it will:
- Establish a database of AAA members who have relevant expertise, whether in basic research, engagement, or both;
- Establish a database of relevant resources for funding basic research and engagement activities;
- Establish a database of bibliographic resources and publication sites;
- Establish a database of groups documenting incidents of racialized police brutality and extrajudicial violence, and means of working with those groups where and as appropriate;
- Increase the placement of AAA subject matter experts in important public conversations on the subject of racialized police brutality, working with the support of AAA's Public Affairs staff;
- Organize a minimum of one panel and one virtual webinar for each year of its term, drawing on a wide range of subdisciplinary expertise and possibly in collaboration with sister associations;
- Contribute a minimum of two blogposts and two columns to AN in each year of its term;
- Submit an application to the Wenner-Gren Foundation and/or other funding sources to organize an international symposium and/or an engagement activity;
- Include results of 1-8 in mid-term and final reports, as parts of the CMIA annual report to the AOC;
- Recommend to the Executive Board ways of continuing these and other modes of engagement that can be organized by the CMIA or other AAA entities on an ongoing basis. Recommendations will also include a plan for dissemination of information. Such recommendations will include a realistic assessment of associated resource requirements to assist the Board with its review and priority setting.
Membership appointed by the President, but to include the Chair of the CMIA or delegate, at least one other CMIA member, the EB liaison to CMIA, and four other members, representing a wide a range as possible of subdisciplines. The Chair will be the CMIA chair or CMIA member, with the possibility of a co-chairship with another member. The Working Group will create a plan (including a schedule) for completing the specific activities listed here. It may establish a group of AAA member experts with whom to consult.
Term: two years.
