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Â鶹ֱ²¥ seeks volunteers for a Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This Task Force will be comprised of 10-12 Â鶹ֱ²¥ members to be selected by Oct. 1, 2020. We will ask the Task Force to present a preliminary report on next steps directions to take at the spring 2021 Board of Trustees’ meeting. The Task Force will work with Â鶹ֱ²¥ leadership and the Chairs Coordinating Council (CCC) in helping revise the Â鶹ֱ²¥ Strategic Plan. The full charge to the Task Force is posted on the Â鶹ֱ²¥ web site. The summary charge is as follows:

We archaeologists, ancient historians, and philologists who make up the professional membership of Â鶹ֱ²¥ study the origins, growth, and transformations of systemically unequal social orders in the past, and we have a duty to use our knowledge to fight the perpetuation of oppressive systems in the present. To that end, the Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will seek out methods and recommend programs through which Â鶹ֱ²¥ can recruit and support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) members by (1) identifying partners in community organizations and institutions; (2) creating fundraising initiatives for scholarships that promote BIPOC participation at meetings and in the field; (3) recommending sensitivity training programs for Â鶹ֱ²¥ leadership; and (4) collaborating with all Â鶹ֱ²¥ committees and leadership to integrate these objectives across all areas of our new strategic plan.

Those interested in serving on the task force should contact the Chair, Erin Darby (edarby1@utk.edu). We hope to have the task force determined by Oct. 1, 2020.