08/06/2020

An Antiracist Framework for Scholarly Publishing

We must do more to overcome racism

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is by Niccole Coggins, Jocelyn Dawson, Melanie Dolechek and Gisela Fosado.

When the Scholarly Kitchen posted “On Being Excluded: Testimonies by People of Color in Scholarly Publishing” (part I and part II) in April 2018, the posts quickly became some of the Kitchen’s most-read and most-shared content. The anonymous individuals who shared their stories made it clear that within the scholarly publishing industry, racism is pervasive, that Black, Indigenous and People of Color experience real harm, and that the need for change is urgent.

These testimonies, as well as surveys showing that our industry is overwhelmingly White, were front of mind when we identified the need for antiracism resources specific to scholarly publishing and submitted a proposal to the 2019 Triangle Scholarly Communications Institute (TSCI).

The Antiracism Toolkit for Allies, now available on the website of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communication, is the first of three planned toolkits incubated at TSCI that will provide a common framework, shared vocabulary, and best practices to address racial disparities specific to scholarly publishing. Developed with the involvement of more than 50 individuals across races and organizations, the toolkits are designed to accelerate progress toward a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Scholarly Kitchen.