Anti-Racism Statement

The San José State University Anthropology Department stands in opposition to all forms of racism and prejudice. We also reject persistent patterns of anti-Blackness in America and endemic discrimination against Native American, Asian/Asian-American, and Latino/a communities. Such racism has continued manifesting itself in acts of repression, violence, and murder. We have been inspired by the efforts of anthropologists in many professional associations who have taken a stand against racism and inequality, including the Association of Black Anthropologists, the Society of Black Archaeologists, the American Anthropological Association, the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, the Society for American Archaeology, the Society for Cultural Anthropology, the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, the American Ethnological Society, the Society for Applied Anthropology, and the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology. 

Our department is committed to supporting anti-racism and efforts to dismantle structures of inequality in our discipline, in our University, and in American society as a whole. We will continue enacting measures to: mentor and support a diverse student population at SJSU; recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff; share anti-racist resources with students; encourage anthropological projects to address various aspects of systemic racism and bias; and develop inclusive strategies for promoting equality and diverse voices on panels, committees, and publications.


Approved by a majority vote of the Department Standing Committee