A message to community members, in light of global protests for racial justice

By Uni Groups Team, sky @ 2020-06-08T22:19 (+42)

Like you, many CEA staff recently watched the video of George Floyd’s killing and were confronted with a callous and cruel disregard for life, which is anathema to EA and to basic human compassion. EA values start from a deep commitment to resist indifference to suffering. We’ve seen a global outpouring of people galvanized against racism, police violence, and inequality, springing from the conviction that Black lives do matter and must matter in order for us to live in the world that we envision — a world of more thriving and less suffering. 

CEA is committed to building an EA community where racism is unacceptable, and where Black community members belong and are valued and respected. This is a commitment we make to community members from around the world, and a commitment that we recognize is both ongoing and no small task. 

Organizers of EA groups told us they found the most recent Groups newsletter helpful, so we are cross-posting the relevant section here in case it is useful to others. Max and Joan will continue to work with their teams at CEA and with our global community to respond, but we want to focus this brief post on the information below:

[W]e want to start by recognising an issue that may be impacting you and your group members, alongside the changing conditions related to the global pandemic. 

Many group members have been following the recent events in the US, regarding the police killing of George Floyd and the subsequent global protests. Members of our community may be grieving and angry about racism and violence against African Americans or other ethnic minorities around the world, and it may be an especially difficult time for people who are most directly affected. 

Here are some resources that CEA staff have found helpful:

• Samuel Sinyangwe on research-based solutions to stop police violence
• Jennifer Doleac on studies that measure the causal effects of interventions or policies on arrests, use of force, and/or race/gender bias
• Open Philanthropy on US justice reform (including their grantmaking strategy and a list of grants they’ve made). Chloe Cockburn, an Open Phil program officer, has covered the cause area on this podcast, and recently produced this list of giving recommendations.
• While some members of the community might be interested in discussing racial injustice from a dispassionate, neutral perspective, we should also remember that these conversations might be a lot harder and more personal for other members of the community. There is a guide to discussing sensitive topics on the EA Resource Hub.

As always, please reach out […] if you have additional questions or resources, or if you need support.

In the midst of all that is happening, we appreciate being part of a community of caring, committed people who want to take action on the problems they see in the world.

— From CEA’s Groups team and Community Health team

The full newsletter is available here. It also includes a link to Vaidehi Agarwalla's Ethnic Diversity Community Survey.