Image Description: Black Lives Matter demonstrators stand in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020. In the foreground, a masked person in black clothes holds a sign that reads “Black Lives Matter” in one hand and a bundle of burning sage in the other. In the background, a row of U.S. flags waves above the grey building’s arched columns, under which several armed police officers stand facing the protestors.
The Anthropology and Mental Health Interest Group stands in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives and their calls to defund, disarm, and dismantle the police. We condemn white supremacy and all acts of anti-Black racism, xenophobia, and police brutality, which have profound consequences on the mental health of Black communities and all communities of color. We affirm that the world’s largest mental health facilities should not be U.S. county jails, which disproportionately house and treat Black and Brown people.(1) We condemn government-sanctioned domestic terrorism and the militarization of police forces against those who demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, George Floyd, James Scurlock, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, and others murdered by the U.S. criminal justice system.
In our discipline, in our professional organizations, in our academic institutions, and in the field, we must do more to combat historical, systemic, and institutionalized oppression and to build more sustainable and just communities. We know that universities are conduits of institutionalized racism, and we see that reflected in our administration, our faculty, and our student body every day. Given this, our members must do more to welcome Black students and all students of color in our field. We must listen deeply, reflect, and act on our commitments to further