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June 2020

Black Lives Matter

The murders, the hate…the horrible reminders that we need to do more.

We are the SOCIAL ISSUES IN MANAGEMENT DIVISION…and if we do not call this out, and push back on racism, then, who are we?  

I don’t pretend to have many answers, but I know that in the last three weeks I have learned about things from my Black colleagues, students and friends that I was blind to (even after years of diversity and inclusion training). For example, Black faculty being stopped in parking lots at universities and questioned about their faculty standing…Black students being singled out by police in a group of rowdy fans at a baseball game…and then there are the horrible examples of racism that we now see on TV and social media…the death of George Floyd as a terrible, culminating moment where we witnessed the things that our Black neighbours have seen for years.

After discussion with the members of SIM governance and committees, we brainstormed ideas about what we might do. I encourage you to email me at jbrown@bentley.edu with more ideas:

• First, I encourage you to go to the GDO site for the Academy of Management. They have issued a Statement of Solidarity. Read it. Sign it. And let’s commit to Live it. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetB43D6dS3IIFU-mZLtTvwDtW0-zck_UmmAVHw8snbX8pK9A/viewform
• Second, I have asked Jae Lee, our new Communications Director (who also Chairs our Curriculum Committee), to work with Dani Alonso Martinez, our Webmaster, to develop another tab on our SIM website, with cross-reference to our Teaching tab to establish a repository of resources, materials to share regarding educating others about Black Lives Matter and racism. The link is here: http://sim.aom.org/teaching/new-item2

Please send materials directly to jlee3@hamline.edu. For example, I have uploaded a page of resources from Dr. Nicole Cooke, Augusta Baker Chair at the University of South Carolina: “Anti-Racism Resources for all Ages”, which provides links to some amazing resources: https://padlet.com/nicolethelibrarian/nbasekqoazt336co.

• Third, our new Membership Committee, which is already initiating several new virtual discussion meetings, will explore the task of a special forum/discussion on racism and Black Lives Matter. We have always advocated for diversity and inclusion in our Division, but we have been challenged in recruiting diverse members. I promise you we are working on this. If you have suggestions related to membership, please email sarah.stephen@unisg.ch.

Frankly, I don’t know how to end this, other than to say I hope we are at a turning point in this horrible journey to stamp out racism, and specifically to tell the world right now that Black Lives Matter.

Yours in SIM,