The BSA condemns the racist murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May and the violent repression of the protests that have followed. As sociologists, we know that these events can only be understood as outcomes of the history of enslavement, the systemic institutionalisation of inequalities and the everyday articulations of privilege and oppression. We oppose all racism and recognise that current events are shaped by specific forms of anti-Black racism, particularly as these are embedded in policing practice. We stand in solidarity with our Black and Minority Ethnic members and their wider communities. These events remind us that it is our responsibility to look to our own organization and to be proactive in making changes for a better future.

We recognise that racism operates within Sociology and are committed to implementing the recommendations of our recently commissioned review on Race and Ethnicity in British Sociology (Joseph-Salisbury, Ashe, Alexander & Campion, to be published imminently). These are important steps but they are only a beginning. We pledge to work with our members to build on these foundations, to take a lead in changing what we can, and join with others to support the wider social changes that must now take place.

Susan Halford, President of the British Sociological Association