CONSORTIUM OF PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC ASSOCIATIONS IN ARIZONA CONDEMNS SB1070 AND RELATED STATE POLICIES

PHOENIX - On May 19th, a working group comprised of representatives from over a dozen leading professional and academic associations has issued a joint statement condemning Arizona’s immigration law (SB 1070) and related state policies such as the prohibition against Ethnic Studies programs (HB 2281), and calling for these laws to be rescinded. 

We, the Consortium of Professional and Academic Associations, believe that these laws are inherently unjust, and that their application threatens to inflame anti-immigrant sentiments and undermine constructive solutions to the challenges faced by communities in Arizona and across the nation. We call upon the governor, legislators, and people of Arizona to work diligently and swiftly to repeal these laws.

Our organizations include members from fields including sociology, criminology, political science, peace studies, psychology, anthropology, environmental studies, Chicano/a studies, and a multitude of related areas of study. Our collective membership numbers more than 10,000 scholars, educators, and activists, with many residing in Arizona. The decision to join together in issuing the open letter below represents an unprecedented and historical moment of collaboration. As academics and professionals concerned about social and environmental justice, human rights, and due process, we add our collective voices to those of many others from across the country calling for the immediate rescission SB 1070 (and, as amended, HB 2162) and HB 2281 in the name of equity, compassion, integrity, constitutionality, and sound public policy.

Signatories to the joint statement include representatives from the following professional organizations and academic associations, all of which have issued individual statements or otherwise indicated their opposition to and condemnation of SB 1070 and related policies. 

American Studies Association (ASA)

Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association, ASU (CLFSA)

Justice Studies Association (JSA)

Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS)

http://malcs.net/blog/?p=335; http://malcs.net/blog/?p=349

National Association for Chicano and Chicana Studies (NACCS)

http://www.naccs.org/naccs/Default_EN.asp

Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA)

http://naisa.org/node/189

Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA)

http://www.peacejusticestudies.org/resources/blogcomments.php?qwerty=79

Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR)

http://www.psysr.org/about/programs/wellbeing/immigrationreform.php

Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) 

http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/pageId/1413

Sociologists Without Borders (Sociologos Sin Fronteras) (SSF)

http://www.petitiononline.com/ssfbyctt/petition.html