STCBP & RESPECT Statement on Addressing Racism & Injustice

As people across the US confront the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many other Black men and women, RESPECT acknowledges that many in our community are experiencing hurt, anger, and grief as the long-standing violence against and oppression of Black people have been called into focus. We are with you. We condemn these and countless other injustices. We stand against racism and call for change.

Looking within, the RESPECT conference and its community has focused on advancing research for equity and inclusion in computing. As pointed out in the RESPECT 2020 panel “The Past, Present, and Future of RESPECT” by panelists Nicki Washington, Gail Chapman, and Rafi Santo and moderator Christina Gardner-McCune, this work must be centered and grounded in anti-racism. RESPECT is committed to fostering a research community that directly acknowledges and addresses racism in computing, values Black scholarship and leadership in our academic research community, and supports the dismantling of institutional systems that prohibit the participation and advancement of Black students and faculty. 

An important part of this commitment will be for our community to provide resources and share knowledge — and for our non-Black members to continue to read, listen, learn, and educate ourselves about structural racism and the experiences and perspectives of Black people. If you are looking for self-care reading or ways to learn more about being an anti-racist, the Resources for Black People and Allies in the Wake of Racial Tragedy provided by The Modern Figures Podcast (led by Dr. Jeremy Waisome and Dr. Kyla McMullen) are an excellent place to start. AnitaB.org has provided a collection of actions that you can take in a recent email, which are included below as well. For research on addressing racism in K12 and university computer science education, we present an (incomplete) list of recent articles from RESPECT community members on culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, and approaches to computing education that center identities for Black students. Through RESPECT, we will continue to share resources and opportunities for education and action. 

We are committed. #BlackLivesMatter.

Sincerely,

Jamie Payton and Tiffany Barnes, RESPECT Steering Committee Co-Chairs
Christina Gardner-McCune and Nicki Washington, RESPECT 2020 General Co-Chairs
IEEE Special Technical Community on Broadening Participation http://stcbp.org

Selected relevant RESPECT papers

Here we list a few select recent RESPECT research articles highlighting approaches that center identity for Black students and faculty within K-12 and undergraduate computing education. 

For more resources, we provide a more expansive but focused RESPECT research reading list that we will continue to update, and RESPECT proceedings are available through IEEE Xplore.

Recommended actions/resources provided by AnitaB.org: 

Contribute to organizations that support the promotion of Black people and other marginalized groups. 

  • The Know Your Rights Camp is dedicated to the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities.
  • Color of Change is the largest racial justice organization in the country.

Partner with public officials to change laws and policing to protect everyone. 

Support protestors throughout the country by donating to bail funds. 

NationalBailOut.org is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement, which offers specific programs for women.