[Statement adopted by the LSA Board of Trustees, May 31, 2000]
The Law and Society Association has long emphasized the value of racial diversity and endeavored to increase that of its membership and activities. Nevertheless, it remains a largely white organization. We believe it is time for more systematic and sustained efforts to increase minority participation. This applies not just to the Trustees (only one or two of whom have been racial minorities at any one time) but also to the content of meetings and publications and the membership of committees and groups that set our intellectual agendas, especially those shaping the Review, annual conference program, Graduate Student Workshop, and Summer Institute. If the Association is to attract and retain scholars of color, it must welcome the different intellectual agendas they may bring. We strongly believe that openness to new approaches, problems and methods of research and presentation will enrich the intellectual content of the Association. To make this happen, the leadership of core activities must be racially diverse.
The Association has also established a Standing Committee on Diversity. Anyone who in support of the diversity policy wishes to contact the committee should send their message to the Executive Office for forwarding to the current committee chairperson.
The Association has established a discussion group (e-group), LSA Critical Race and Diversity, for those who attended the 2000 Summer Institute. That discussion group is now open to anyone interested in posting information or announcements and discussing issues of race and diversity in law and society. To join the group, enter your e-mail address below and click the "join button."
Statement on Disability
[Statement adopted by the LSA Board of Trustees, June 4, 2003]
The Law and Society Association values the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its membership, its activities, and its governance. It is the policy of the LSA that persons with disabilities should participate as fully as other members in the Association in all LSA activities, including in particular annual meetings, committees, Graduate Student Workshops and Summer Institutes. The LSA will make all feasible efforts to accommodate members with disabilities and to remain responsive to the needs of our members who have disabilities