AHSA statement in support of Black Lives Matter

The American Humor Studies Association supports Black Lives Matter and similarly believes we must confront systemic racial injustice in all arenas. The protests in the last month have forced us to reexamine our commitment to racial and social equality. Our organization stands with those who believe in and fight for an inclusive and democratic world. The Movement for Black Lives has not only energized the nation’s political scene, but also our association. To do our part, we commit to diversifying our membership, expanding the range of our scholarship, and encouraging publication of work that examines issues of power, social injustice, and equity across all identity categories. As students of American humor, in its many forms, we have the opportunity and duty to acknowledge the multiplicity of voices that in the past constituted the landscape of humor in the United States. Those voices strive to be heard today, in order that, as John Berger puts it, “Never again one story will be told as if it were the only story.”