DWC Executive Board Statement on Inclusivity – Division of Feminist Criminology

DWC Executive Board Statement on Inclusivity (3/8/2021)

The Executive Board of the Division of Women and Crime (DWC) denounces all oppressions
(including, but not limited to racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism and ableism),
oppressive language, behavior, or publications that perpetuate and/or uphold structural
inequalities. We disavow discrimination based on disability, socioeconomic status, sexuality,
age, education, race/ethnicity, nationality, citizenship status, religious affiliation or gender
identity or expression. The Executive Board aspires for the DWC to be an intersectional and
antiracist feminist space. We acknowledge that we are not there yet and achieving this goal will
require sustained resources, time commitments, and critical reflection to move toward a more
inclusive, intersectional feminist organization. As a starting point, we want to use this
statement to acknowledge and address the problems of racism, cisgenderism, transphobia, and
heterosexism as central concerns raised by membership.

First, the Executive Board of the DWC affirms the ongoing need for equity, inclusion and racial
justice within the Division and, more broadly, the ASC. The Executive Board commits to ongoing
and sustained conversations among a diversity of BIPOC, Queer and Trans scholars. It is
important to both listen to these scholars and ensure they are part of the decision-making
structures that can affect the necessary changes. While there have been some steps in the
right direction, there remains a need for deeper engagement across the DWC membership that
is inclusive of a more diverse set of voices and experiences. For example, there has been a lack
of meaningful representation of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ scholars in positions of leadership. We
are committed to pushing beyond conventional diversity and inclusion efforts that have yet to
produce the scale of change needed to truly uproot the white supremacy, white nationalism,
racism, heterosexism, and transphobia woven into academia and into our own history as a
Division, so we may achieve social justice in the DWC.

Further, we are a trans-inclusive organization, and the Executive Board acknowledges and
condemns discrimination and microaggressions against trans and non-binary individuals in all
domains. Succinctly, trans women are women, and trans women’s rights are human rights. We
reject any writings whose argument or foundation claims that trans women are not women and
should not have equal human rights.

The Executive Board is committed to making the changes necessary to achieve an inclusive
existence. To this end, the Executive Board has begun the following activities:

Reconvene the Constitutional Revision Committee with the task of ensuring inclusivity in the structure of the DWC, including in all Committees
Ensure that leadership positions have a balance of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ members
Task the Diversity & Inclusion Committee with oversight of inclusivity in representation of the Executive Board and Committee composition and mandate
Ensure transparency of all work of the Executive Board and review the scope of the DWC Chair to make unilateral decisions
Create a Feminist Criminology Editorial Board Committee tasked with recommending policies and procedures regarding the selection of an inclusive Editorial Board for our journal (this is the contractual responsibility of the DWC as Sponsor)
Ensure that all DWC members have a voice by creating outlets such as Town Halls and Casual Conversations
Ask that each Executive Board release a statement of inclusivity to the membership at the start of each Chair term along with their proposed activities

We invite the Division membership to meaningfully engage with the Executive Board by
participating in a public Town Hall on (Date TBA) hosted by the DWC where we hope to discuss
additional concrete steps that will be taken by the Division to acknowledge and redress racism,
cisgenderism and trans-exclusivity in our organization. We are also committed to increased
transparency between the Executive Board and the DWC membership. We view the Town Hall
as an opportunity for us to listen to the concerns of the members and solicit additional
suggestions for how we can improve