APSA Resources on Systemic Racism & Social Justice
Political scientists have long examined the linkages between race, power, governance, social injustice and oppression. This scholarship has made an invaluable contribution to our discipline and to public discourse. It has illuminated the sources and structures of systemic racism, pervasive inequality and human rights abuses in the United States, as well as the resulting social, political, and public policy consequences. Below is a collection of resources and scholarly work from political scientists and a variety of other sources, that we hope you will engage. Additionally, we have provided access to articles from the journals of the American Political Science Association that address these important questions.
This project arose as a means to acknowledge the issues and debates that have re-surfaced into the public discourse as a result of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of police, and the resulting protests and civil debates about social justice, race, systemic racism and public policy. With the understanding that these social, political, and economic themes predate the events and protests in Minneapolis, MN and the protests around globe. The goals of this project are to: 1) Highlight the range of scholarly expertise and contributions of political scientists whose research and public engagement addresses these important topics, 2) Identify a diverse array of political science resources that can be brought to bear to assist students and faculty in the classroom and the public the better understand and dialogue about these issues in a constructive way, and 3) Acknowledge and appreciate that these themes are core and essential to the study of political science.
The resource page is divided into five key sections, as described below. While the resource page is not meant to be comprehensive, it is dynamic and inclusive. As we learn of new resources from our members and staff, we will update the page.
Getting Started
Familiarize yourself with key terms, and access resources about understanding race and social (in)justice.
Engage
Learn about strategies for further engagement, involvement and advocacy.
Explore
Learn about existing diversity and inclusion and pedagogical resources such as syllabi and teaching tools.
Share
Submit a resource on social justice or systemic racism for consideration.
Get Informed
Read related political science research from APSA scholars and others on race, ethnicity and politics, social (in)justice, systemic racism, protest and politics, activism, criminal justice reform, institutional change, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, mass incarceration, human and civil rights and more.
Getting Started
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- Being Antiracist – National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Understanding Biases – American Psychological Association
- Dismantling Racism Works, Resources on racism, racial justice and COVID-19
- What is Systemic Racism? Race Forward Video Series
- Let’s get to the root of racial injustice. Megan Ming Francis, TEDxRainer.
- Black Lives Matter Website
- Social Justice – National Education Association
Explore
NASEM Report (2023):
- NASEM National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26803.
Juneteenth Resources
Crowd-sourced or Google Doc Syllabi Projects: Black Lives Matter, Systemic Racism, Social Justice
APSA Diversity & Inclusion Resources
APSA RESPECT
- Visit The RESPECT Website
- Women Of Color Teaching Political Science: Examining the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Course Material in the Classroom. By Sampaio, A. (2006). PS: Political Science & Politics, 39(4), 917-922.
- Exploring Diversity and Student Political Activism Through Archival Research. By Elder, L., & Wallace, S. (N.D.). PS: Political Science & Politics, 1-5.
Raise the Vote Campaign
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- Share Your Research on Black Lives Matter, REP, and the Politics of Protest
- “A Look at the 2020 Primary Elections in the US Virgin Islands” by Malik Sekou
- “Civic Engagement as Critical Pedagogy at Middle Tennessee State University” by Sekou Franklin
- “Feeling the 2020 Election? How Collective Experiences of Emotions Might Reshape the Political Landscape” by Camille Burge
- “Florida: We Have a Problem” by Maria Puerta Riera
- “Getting out the Vote in the Valley: Connecting Politics and Participation to Youth” by Randy Villegas
- “Political Participation in Immigrant Communities” by Maricruz Osario
- “The 2020 South Carolina Democratic Primary: The Gestalt of Black Voters in SC” by Athena M. King
- “The Curious Case of Guam: The Unincorporated Territory’s Role in the 2020 Primaries” by Nolan G.T. Flores
- “The Nevada Caucus: First in the West” by Precious Hall
- “The Spectacle of Presidential Primaries in Puerto Rico” by Fernando Tormos-Aponte
APSA Educate
APSA Demographic Data on the Diversity in the Discipline
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- Project on Women and Minorities (P-WAM) Dashboard
- How to Conduct a Meeting with your Representative Chart
- Field of Study Diversity in Political Science Chart
- Diversity in Organized Sections Chart
- Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and the Tenure Track (Interactive Dashboard)
- Who is driving the rise in political science degree completions? Women.
- APSA Surveys and Report
Engage
- Implicit Bias Assessment Test
- How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Urgent Need for Anti-racist Education
How to be(come) an Ally
- How to be an Ally for Social Justice, Melissa Michelson, TEDx Menlo College.
- Best Practices for Being an Ally, The Ohio State University Political Science Diversity Committee
- Guidelines for Being Strong White Allies, by Racial Equity Tools, adapted from Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Social Justice by Paul Kivel
- Learning to be an Ally for People from Diverse Groups and Backgrounds, The Community Toolbox, by the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Resources for Addressing Anti-Asian Hate and Violence
Stop AAPI Hate
- StopAAPIHate.org
- Report on Anti-Asian Violence and Hate Incidents
- Other Reports released in 2020
- Resources
Visit APSA Resource Page on Addressing Anti-Asian Hate and Violence for more resources
Get Informed
APSA journal publications on related topics
- Protests, Policing, and Race from the APSA journals
- A Virtual Review: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity in American Political Science Association Publications
- Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting, APSR, by Omar Wasow
- What kind of movement is Black Lives Matter? The view from Twitter Al Tillery
Relevant Research
- Special Projects Fund Awardee Research
- The Collaborative Study of Race in the Americas: Team Building in the 21st Century
- #MeTooPoliSci: Addressing Gender Discrimination in Political Science
- Collected articles on linked fate, Black identity politics and race, ethnicity and politics, from the Collaborative Multiracial Post-election Survey CMPS
- American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom, by Hanes Walton, Robert C. Smith, Sherri L. Wallace
- American While Black: African Americans, Immigration and Limits of Citizenship, by Niambi Michelle Carter
- Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry, by Keesha M. Middlemass
- Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism and Unequal Politics, by Jamila Michener
- Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior, by Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird
- Can We All Get Along: Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics, by Paula D. McClain and Jessica D. Johnson Carew
Centennial Center Project Grant Recipients
- The Collaborative Study of Race in the Americas: Team Building in the 21st Century , KC Morrison, David Covin
- The Collaborative Multi-Racial Post Election Survey , Lorrie Frasure, Matt Barreto, Edward Vargas, and Janelle Wong.
- #MeTooPoliSci: Addressing Gender Discrimination in Political Science , Nadia Brown, Rebecca Gill, Jennifer Merolla, Melissa Michelson, Elizabeth Sharrow, Patricia Stapleton, Dara Strolovitch
Recent Books and Journal Articles
- 2018 PGI Symposium on American Political Development in the Era of Black Lives Matter
- The Anger Gap, book by Davin Phoenix
- “Black Lives Matter and the Paradoxes of U.S. Black Politics: From Democratic Sacrifice to Democratic Repair” (2016), Political Theory, by Juliet Hooker
- After #Ferguson, After #Baltimore: The Challenge of Black Death and Black Life for Black Political Thought, South Atlantic Quarterly, (2017) by Barnor Hesse and Juliet Hooker
- Video: #RaceAndJusticeConvo
- Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making all Black Lives Matter. by Tehama Lopez Bunyasi and Candis Watts Smith
- Teaching Social Justice in Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed
- Special Issue: Black Lives Matter, (2022), Perspectives on Politics
A Closer Look at the Discipline
- APSA Task Force on Systemic Inequalities
- Race and the making of American political science , Blatt, Jessica. 2018 1st edition. ed, American governance: politics, policy, and public law. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
- “Why Race Matters in International Relations.” Zvobgo, Kelebogile, and Meredith Loken. Foreign Policy, June 19, 2020.
- “Race, power, and knowledge: tracing the roots of exclusion in the development of political science in the United States.” McClain, Paula D, Gloria Y A Ayee, Taneisha N Means, Alicia M Reyes-Barrientez, and Nura A Sediqe. 2016
Media resources and public engagement
- The Conversation
- Associated Press – US News
- Scholars Strategy Network pieces on:
APSA Opportunities
APSA Diversity Fellowship Program
The APSA Diversity Fellowship Program is a fellowship competition for individuals applying to or in the early stages of doctoral programs in political science. Program deadlines in the Fall and Spring Semesters. Learn more.
Centennial Research Grants
APSA’s Centennial Center offers grants to support members’ research, and workshops and other events. The Research Grants program is made possible by a set of endowed funds, some of which are designated for support for particular research areas. Two of these funds specifically support research on race and politics:
- The Marguerite Ross Barnett Fund: Supports research on diversity, cultural nationalism, African American voting behavior, education policy, and/or urban and minority policy and politics.
- Rita Mae Kelly Fund: Supports research on the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, and political power. This year, in order to provide additional support to our members during the current crisis, the Centennial Center is making research grants more flexible by expanding the categories of costs eligible for funding to include stipends for PIs and research assistants, the costs of research software and hardware, surveys, and interview costs, per diems regardless of location, and more.
Application Deadline: June of each year. Learn more here.