This summer has seen mobilization on an unprecedented scale, as people have taken to the streets to demand action against police violence and systemic anti-Black racism. These protests have spread not only across the United States, but to other parts of the world where Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) share the frustration and exhaustion of continuous and unmitigated state violence against their communities. The protests have happened, not incidentally, in the midst of a global pandemic that has taken a substantially disproportionate toll on communities of color, and have highlighted issues that go well beyond that of policing.

We, the editors of the American Political Science Review, believe it is imperative that political scientists take this moment to consider the role our academic discipline and institutions might play in reflecting and maintaining structural inequalities. The 2011 APSA Task Force Report “Political Science in the 21st Century,” written under the leadership of Dianne M. Pinderhughes — the first Black woman to serve as president of the American Political Science Association — states what is being echoed on Academic Twitter today: The world of the 21st century contains a growing set of societal problems that political science is ill-equipped to address, including “explanations for the social, political, and economic process of marginalization.” The insufficient attention given to inequality and processes of marginalization limits the relevance of political science to broader social and political discourses. Journals such as the APSR have a role to play here. As the Task Force Report highlights, “One of the persistent complaints of organized dissent in the Association is that its journals have not published a sufficient number of articles that reflect the demographic changes taking place in the United State and other countries, and the research questions they entail.”

As a team whose members include several scholars with expertise in the politics of race, gender, and sexuality, we know that representation matters. We also recognize that changing the demographics of editorial teams only scratches the surface of the deeply entrenched structural inequalities that persist within the discipline, and which have been reflected in its flagship journals. As editors, however, there are proactive measures that we can take to try to address some of these inequalities. In our vision statement, for example, we commit to publishing well-conceptualized, ethically-designed, and well-executed work addressing substantive political problems. As scholars who cover a wide range of subfields and methodological approaches, we are working to broaden our reviewer pool to better draw on the vast expertise throughout the field. We are striving to broaden the interpretation of which scholarship is a good fit for publication in the American Political Science Review. We are asking that our reviewers provide fair, constructive, informed, relevant, and professional feedback that does not dismiss scholars or areas of inquiry but instead works to improve analyses and arguments, even of work that is not ultimately published in the pages of our journal. These efforts will strengthen the quality of the APSR and position the discipline to address the political topics being debated in society.

This summer, many of our colleagues who study Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) have reminded us that our discipline has a great deal of knowledge and expertise to address the pressing issues of inequality and marginalization that have been thrown into relief by the confluence of the pandemic and the mass mobilizations against ongoing racist police violence. They have led the way, with many stepping up to the task of educating the field and the general public, even as they faced personal grief, frustration, and exhaustion. If you haven’t already, take the time to watch this brilliant panel, “Race and the American Criminal Justice System: Where Do We Go from Here?” organized by Hakeem Jefferson. Or look at the short course put together by Nadia Brown, Ray Block, Jr. and Christopher Stout on “How to Teach Black Lives Matter.” There are numerous other examples.

If the discipline is to better reflect the diversity of society, both descriptively and substantively, then we need to actively dismantle the institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and settler colonialism that continue to characterize and structure it. We can start by recognizing and taking seriously the personal and professional expertise of scholars of color who have so generously led the way. The 2011 APSA Task Force Report touches on a number of concrete steps that can be taken to bring political science research and teaching into the 21st century, including:

• Incorporating diversity, inclusiveness, and inequality as categories of analysis that inform each area of undergraduate study and instruction rather than as separate or supplementary units in the curriculum (starting with introductory textbooks)

• Expanding graduate training to incorporate more attention to — and make clear the broad reach and relevance of — issues of race, indigeneity, gender, and inequality, even in courses and work that does not focus on those topics

• Pushing our universities and departments to be more intentional in supporting and encouraging students from a broader range of backgrounds and interests to pursue graduate work in political science

• Encouraging faculty to actively engage in processes of deliberation and self-reflection by questioning their own assumptions and views about issues of race, indigeneity, gender, sexuality, and disability.

It is time we move beyond the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion and draw on our collective expertise to make more decisive and meaningful changes to our discipline and its journals.

– The Editors of the American Political Science Review.

– Meet the Editors here.