Reaffirming our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The recent murder of George Floyd has amplified issues of systemic racism and the marginalization of black communities. SSP denounces racism of any kind and reaffirms our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As we bear witness to the brutality unfolding in the United States and across the world, we are reminded that there is so much work to be done. We acknowledge that this does not happen automatically, and requires deliberate action.

SSP exists for its members. We represent a diverse and global community united by our involvement in scholarly publishing and communications. SSP leverages the collective expertise of both our member organizations and our individual members, which includes their contribution to open and inclusive discussions.

Collectively, we cannot stay silent and simply hope for a more equitable future. This is a moment in time where we, in a firm, loud, and unified voice, must be clear about our support for every member of our community — a community that is stronger and smarter and more well-positioned to face our future collective challenges — precisely because it is diverse.

A cornerstone of SSP’s strategic plan is to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion through demonstrated leadership in the effort to expand the diversity of professionals working in scholarly communications and foster a culture of inclusion through awareness, outreach, and striving for diverse and balanced representation across all programs. Concrete steps we are taking to meet this goal include:

• Providing leadership for the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Publishing (C4DISC), an intraorganizational body of 10 trade and professional organizations formed to discuss and address issues of diversity and inclusion.
• Actively recruiting more diverse voices for The Scholarly Kitchen, webinars, and other SSP programming, including ensuring diversity among speakers and keynotes for the SSP Annual Meeting.
• Creating educational content focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion for The Scholarly Kitchen, webinars, and other SSP programming each year.
• Including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Committee liaisons on all SSP committees to ensure prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for all programs.
• Enforcing a code of conduct which underscores a zero-tolerance approach to racism and any other forms of discrimination or abuse.

We believe in a fundamental respect for the dignity of every human, regardless of their color, creed, or cause. The only path is forward; together we will work to continue building bridges of trust, respect, and understanding to ensure that SSP remains a safe and inclusive community that values the rights of all.