C4DISC Releases “Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Scholarly Publishing”

Helping Black, Indigenous, and People of Color THRIVE in Scholarly Publishing.

This month, C4DISC is releasing two documents aiming to be a resource to deepen the reflection and a tool to help people in the scholarly publishing world to better deal with DEI challenges: the Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Scholarly Publishing and the Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication.

Following the success of the two previous toolkits, the Antiracism Toolkit for Allies and the Antiracism Toolkit for Organizations, C4DISC is now releasing the Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in Scholarly Publishing. This new toolkit is the result of the work of a group of BIPOC-identifying publishing professionals of all levels from across the United States and Canada. The objective is to be a living document and the start of an ongoing conversation, as well as a resource for current and future generations of BIPOC workers in the academic publishing industry.

“Our goal with this toolkit is not to paint our perspectives broadly, but rather, to draw from personal experiences so that other BIPOC might be seen, to provide practical advice, and to share resources that we hope will help BIPOC staff not just survive but thrive in academic publishing.”

The toolkit is structured in three main parts, includes valuable references and a further guidance and support section. The first part is about the barriers BIPOC have to overcome when entering the publishing Industry, like the inaccessibility of training resources and the lack of or limited BIPOC representation and mentors. The second part is about the importance of creating community with and across groups of BIPOC and building an anti-racist culture. The third part is about the publishing industry, and aspects like networking, building mentorship and sponsorship relations. The document also contains a series of resources on networking and career development and gives practical advice on how to improve inclusivity in day-to-day work. Finally, the toolkit supports authenticity at work, helps us identify parameters of well-being, and gives valuable tips for managing the side effects of code switching.

“In the larger scope of an increasingly unequal world where racialized people suffer in many different ways, this particular toolkit, the Antiracism Toolkit for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), is a small yet specific contribution, and one that we hope will be meaningful and useful to BIPOC-identifying individuals navigating an industry that can be wonderful, but also hostile.”

This toolkit is for BIPOC people and for non-BIPOC people living in a diverse world, all of us who are committed to making the scholarly publishing industry more just and welcoming.

Thank you to all of the toolkit volunteers and contributors:

Martha Alvarado Anderson, University of Arkansas
Amber Avila, George Washington University
Mike Baccam, University of Washington Press
Thane Chambers, University of Alberta
Niccole Coggins, American Psychological Association
Christina Davies, GRAPHEK
Harrison W. Inefuku, Iowa State University
Ellen Kim, GRAPHEK
Walter Kim, GRAPHEK
Shaina Lange, American Chemical Society
Nancy Lu, GRAPHEK
Rebecca S. McLeod, Harvard University
Alejandra M. Mejía, Duke University Press
Swapna Padhye, Oxford University Press
Mark A. Puente, Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies
Nhora Lucía Serrano, PhD, Hamilton College
Damita Snow, CAE, American Society of Civil Engineers
Dawit Tegbaru, Knowledge Futures Group
Randy Townsend, George Washington University and Public Library of Science
Jasmine Wallace, American Society for Microbiology
Kerry E. Webb, University of Texas Press

SSP is proud to be a founding member of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications. Learn more about C4DISC.

About C4DISC C4DISC was founded by representatives from 10 trade and professional associations during the 2017 SSP annual meeting in Boston. Its vision is a socially just community that welcomes, values, and celebrates all who seek to contribute to scholarly communications and its mission is to work with organizations and individuals to build equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility within the community. C4DISC members meet monthly to address its areas of focus, including: developing a joint statement of principles; conducting market research; providing training resources, best practices, toolkits, and documentation for our collective memberships; and establishing outreach programs, curricula, events, and publications.

Contact c4disc@gmail.com