American Association for Anatomy Statement of Responsibility for its History of Racism
The American Association for Anatomy (AAA) values community, respect, inclusion, integrity and discovery in its mission to advance anatomical sciences through research, education and professional development. The AAA acknowledges that throughout much of its history, it has largely ignored both societal racism and the integral role of some AAA members in promulgating scientific racism, a universally discredited concept in complete opposition to the present values of the AAA. Only in the new millennium has the AAA firmly committed itself to increasing diversity and inclusion of groups previously marginalized and/or objectified within the anatomical sciences. This statement of responsibility acknowledges the facts of AAA’s history and serves as a pledge of our commitment to welcome, mentor, and support a broad and inclusive community of educators and researchers in the anatomical sciences.
It took the AAA 134 years to take a first candid look at its own history of racism.1 Intentionally or unintentionally, AAA actions and inactions have resulted in underrepresentation and marginalization of many societal groups, including Black anatomists. The AAA’s historical behavior includes acts of complicity with structural and institutional racism by omission and inattention, lack of critical questioning and reflection on practices, and reinforcement of traditional hierarchical structures that resulted in the stratification of opportunities for many beyond certain groups. The AAA was often silent with respect to deep rooted hatred against Jews manifested in anti-Semitic acts within the United States and, most egregiously, in the Holocaust.
The AAA ignored the many instances of racism in the United States against Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latino and other marginalized groups of Americans. This silence in the face of racism has, ultimately, led to a restricted pool of talented scientists for society as a whole and for the AAA itself.
To assume responsibility for the past, and to better our future, the AAA commits funding and effort to support the following research, education, and professional development initiatives:
- Further research on the history of AAA and the discipline of Anatomy in the United States to understand the impact of AAA behavior on historically underrepresented scientists and the implications for AAA and the broader community
- Development of educational curricula on the history of Anatomy
- Creation of inclusive Anatomy curricula, including introductory sessions on racism and biological variation
- Creation of inclusive representation in anatomical imaging for education and research
- Development of robust outreach research programs and student research fellowships for underrepresented groups in anatomy
- Exploration of new pathways to AAA membership promoting inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups
- Coordination of programming and outreach with other scientific and health professional associations to recruit underrepresented populations into science and education
Through these and future initiatives, the AAA will continue to build a supportive and inclusive community for all educators and researchers in the anatomical sciences.
1Sumner DR, Hildebrandt S, Nesbitt A, Carroll MA, Smocovitis VB, Laitman JT, Beresheim AC, Ramnanan CJ, Blakey ML. Racism, structural racism, and the American Association for Anatomy: Initial report from a task force. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2022 Feb 28. doi: 10.1002/ar.24903. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35226417.
Adopted by the AAA Board of Directors on March 31, 2022
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