Statement on Racial Justice
The members of the Economics Department at Dartmouth are heartbroken and outraged over the Minneapolis Police's brutal killing of George Floyd. We recognize that this is just the latest in a long history of violence and aggression, by the police and by others, against the Black community. We stand in support of those who suffer from this violence on an ongoing basis, and we stand with those who are combatting the systemic racial injustices of our society.
Our department is committed to taking action that contributes to broader efforts to root out racism. Despite our past efforts in this regard, we acknowledge that we need to do more and try harder. In the classroom, we will strive to create a culture of inclusion that provides a welcome space for students of color. In our curriculum, we will strive to address the devastating impact of racism and encourage careful consideration of policies for combatting racism. In our scholarly work, we will strive to understand the causes and consequences of racism and to identify effective approaches for promoting equity, justice, and social wellbeing. In hiring new faculty members, we will strive to recruit Black economists as well as individuals from other underrepresented and marginalized groups. Finally, we will strive to recognize our own implicit biases and to foster diversity and inclusiveness in all aspects of our professional responsibilities.
As a starting point for these commitments, we will undertake the following initiatives to help combat racism and promote a more inclusive economics community here at Dartmouth:
- Take steps to ensure that our classes are welcoming and inclusive to Black students as well as other students from underrepresented and marginalized groups.
- Organize and host faculty-student events on topics that are related to diversity and inequality and of interest to students. These events will regularly include speakers (chosen by students) who come to Dartmouth to discuss these issues.
- Promote increased diversity in research by committing funds so that students from groups who are underrepresented in the field of economics have more opportunities to engage in paid research opportunities with Dartmouth economics faculty, with mentoring being an important component of the research experience.
- Help reduce the underrepresentation of academic economists from minority groups by seeking on-campus resources, and by actively promoting resources available to students from underrepresented minorities in economics.
We realize that combatting racism in our field of economics -- and in our society at large -- will require concerted and sustained efforts. We view these specific initiatives as just the beginning of our efforts. We will continue to seek feedback and ideas for how our department and faculty can increase inclusivity at Dartmouth. We are resolved to do our utmost to help fight racism.
Dartmouth Economics Department
June 11, 2020