Critical Crisis Response to Build Social Equity
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Ashley Nickels, Hannah Lebovits and Amanda Clark
June 24, 2020
When we submitted the proposal to write this column on social equity and local governance, we thought we would use our second column to talk about environmental justice. We wanted to focus on the 1982 Warren County, North Carolina protest against a toxic waste dump led by Black civil rights leaders and residents. Our idea was to illustrate how a movement led by Black activists should be used as a framework in which to examine the ways that mass efforts to promote social equity can shape local governance. We planned to discuss how local policy responses sometimes lead to new injustices in what Pellow refers to as the, “Movement-policy cycle.”
Then, COVID-19. We revised our plan to write about COVID-19 from an environmental justice perspective. We considered discussing how communities of color experience COVID-19 differently: the disproportionate health impacts, inequities tied to access to green spaces and the disparate police presence and white spaces.
But as we sat down to co-author this column, our hearts and minds were preoccupied by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and the protests taking place across the country, demanding that we end violence against members of the Black community and dismantle systemic oppression.
The world is facing concurrent crises. Unemployment. Food Insecurity. Police Brutality. Climate change. COVID-19. As scholars interested in social equity, local governance and the politics of policy, we are acutely aware of how these interdependent issues are playing out within our respective cities, regions and states. As critical scholars, we argue that these crises cannot be viewed as merely occurring within the same realm, but are rooted within legacies of oppression which have been institutionalized through government action (and inaction) and legitimized through academic research. And as members of a field dedicated to studying governance, we are calling on ourselves and others to change this.
Critique and Social Equity
In our respective work, we draw on transdisciplinary theories, like critical race theory, intersectionality, critical environmental justice, and critical urban theory. While each of these theoretical approaches has a rich history– each center what Tracey Coule, et al. identify as core tenets of critical studies:
- Challenging structures of domination and oppression;
- Questioning taken-for-granted assumptions and the status quo;
- Going beyond instrumentalism;
- Paying attention to power and knowledge.
These tenets help us in research and practice, because they challenge us to look beyond the obvious or the comfortable. As Gooden notes, race and social equity are areas of government that can immobilize public institutions and actors, leading them to adopt policies and platforms that are insufficient and sometimes even destructive. If we truly want to manifest social equity, we cannot assume that the current mechanisms are going to be enough or even necessary. As local governments, community leaders and activists continue to respond to these crises, we think critical analysis is essential. Calls to go back “to normal” are misplaced. Normal wasn’t equitable. Normal is what got us here in the first place.
We must approach, without fear, the question of why these crises are intertwined and listen to those who can teach us and inform our path forward. Thinking back to our original concept of environmental justice, we can see how policy decisions steeped in racism, sexism, classism and ableism have contributed to the disproportionate negative impact of environmental degradation for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
And though we’d like to be able to suggest small policy tweaks, incremental reform does little to address these systemic and institutional practices.
Administrations can implement and roll-back policies, but systems will retain their structures of domination, power consolidation, and gaslighting. As cities across the country begin to rethink their deeply institutionalized processes—not because of mass COVID-19 losses but because of the protesters in the streets—this much is clear: true reform must be revolutionary and from the bottom up to be sustainable.
A Call to Action
As scholars of public affairs, we owe it to our students, colleagues and communities of practice to not only confront these systems and the people who perpetuate them but also view them as manifestations of historical and contemporary government policy. It is not enough to feel a need to act. We must express, clearly, our intention to do so.
So, today, we are calling upon our colleagues to join us in publicly:
- Acknowledging that the impact of these crises is felt disproportionately by BIPOC, because of systemic racism, sexism, classism and ableism.
- Recognizing our power and privilege in this moment and use our platforms to, “Name blame and claim,” racism and other forms of oppression in our institutions.
- Listening to, centering and amplifying the knowledge and experience of BIPOC, as we seek change.
- And vowing to act with those who are in this fight, for those who cannot be and against those who enable these inequitable systems.
The individual effort we put forth will likely vary based on our unique identities, institutions and roles. We owe it to our field and the people we serve and those we serve with to take this step. To state, unequivocally, that we truly are a profession dedicated to equity and that we can and will center that in all our work.
Author:
Ashley E. Nickels, Ph.D., is associate professor of political science at Kent State University and co-PI of the Growing Democracy Project. Her work focuses on urban politics, local governance, and community using a social equity lens. @AENickelsPhD
Hannah Lebovits is a PhD candidate at Cleveland State University and is an incoming assistant professor at University of Texas-Arlington. She studies the relationship between governance, spatial structures and social equity. @HannahLebovits
Amanda D. Clark, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor of political science at Nova Southeastern University. She is currently researching social movements, community development, and the U.S. policy process. @adclark_phd
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Critical Crisis Response to Build Social Equity
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Ashley Nickels, Hannah Lebovits and Amanda Clark
June 24, 2020
When we submitted the proposal to write this column on social equity and local governance, we thought we would use our second column to talk about environmental justice. We wanted to focus on the 1982 Warren County, North Carolina protest against a toxic waste dump led by Black civil rights leaders and residents. Our idea was to illustrate how a movement led by Black activists should be used as a framework in which to examine the ways that mass efforts to promote social equity can shape local governance. We planned to discuss how local policy responses sometimes lead to new injustices in what Pellow refers to as the, “Movement-policy cycle.”
Then, COVID-19. We revised our plan to write about COVID-19 from an environmental justice perspective. We considered discussing how communities of color experience COVID-19 differently: the disproportionate health impacts, inequities tied to access to green spaces and the disparate police presence and white spaces.
But as we sat down to co-author this column, our hearts and minds were preoccupied by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and the protests taking place across the country, demanding that we end violence against members of the Black community and dismantle systemic oppression.
The world is facing concurrent crises. Unemployment. Food Insecurity. Police Brutality. Climate change. COVID-19. As scholars interested in social equity, local governance and the politics of policy, we are acutely aware of how these interdependent issues are playing out within our respective cities, regions and states. As critical scholars, we argue that these crises cannot be viewed as merely occurring within the same realm, but are rooted within legacies of oppression which have been institutionalized through government action (and inaction) and legitimized through academic research. And as members of a field dedicated to studying governance, we are calling on ourselves and others to change this.
Critique and Social Equity
In our respective work, we draw on transdisciplinary theories, like critical race theory, intersectionality, critical environmental justice, and critical urban theory. While each of these theoretical approaches has a rich history– each center what Tracey Coule, et al. identify as core tenets of critical studies:
These tenets help us in research and practice, because they challenge us to look beyond the obvious or the comfortable. As Gooden notes, race and social equity are areas of government that can immobilize public institutions and actors, leading them to adopt policies and platforms that are insufficient and sometimes even destructive. If we truly want to manifest social equity, we cannot assume that the current mechanisms are going to be enough or even necessary. As local governments, community leaders and activists continue to respond to these crises, we think critical analysis is essential. Calls to go back “to normal” are misplaced. Normal wasn’t equitable. Normal is what got us here in the first place.
We must approach, without fear, the question of why these crises are intertwined and listen to those who can teach us and inform our path forward. Thinking back to our original concept of environmental justice, we can see how policy decisions steeped in racism, sexism, classism and ableism have contributed to the disproportionate negative impact of environmental degradation for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
And though we’d like to be able to suggest small policy tweaks, incremental reform does little to address these systemic and institutional practices.
Administrations can implement and roll-back policies, but systems will retain their structures of domination, power consolidation, and gaslighting. As cities across the country begin to rethink their deeply institutionalized processes—not because of mass COVID-19 losses but because of the protesters in the streets—this much is clear: true reform must be revolutionary and from the bottom up to be sustainable.
A Call to Action
As scholars of public affairs, we owe it to our students, colleagues and communities of practice to not only confront these systems and the people who perpetuate them but also view them as manifestations of historical and contemporary government policy. It is not enough to feel a need to act. We must express, clearly, our intention to do so.
So, today, we are calling upon our colleagues to join us in publicly:
The individual effort we put forth will likely vary based on our unique identities, institutions and roles. We owe it to our field and the people we serve and those we serve with to take this step. To state, unequivocally, that we truly are a profession dedicated to equity and that we can and will center that in all our work.
Author:
Ashley E. Nickels, Ph.D., is associate professor of political science at Kent State University and co-PI of the Growing Democracy Project. Her work focuses on urban politics, local governance, and community using a social equity lens. @AENickelsPhD
Hannah Lebovits is a PhD candidate at Cleveland State University and is an incoming assistant professor at University of Texas-Arlington. She studies the relationship between governance, spatial structures and social equity. @HannahLebovits
Amanda D. Clark, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor of political science at Nova Southeastern University. She is currently researching social movements, community development, and the U.S. policy process. @adclark_phd
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