“Advancing the Call: Academic Journals Amplifying Black Research”
A call to award journals for their efforts to diversify scholarship by and about Black people.
Deadline: February 28, 2021
There has been a significant reckoning across the world to address the long-standing systemic issues of racism that impact people of color. In the United States, white supremacist movements have been used to influence and restrict laws, educational opportunities, access to healthcare, and other rights ascribed under the idea of freedom — an advantage ascribed in whole only to white Americans. Black scholars across the world are producing research that captures experiences of the culture or advances scientific knowledge in their fields. However, many journals lack diverse representation among authors accepted for publication and in their editorial boards.
In keeping with the mission of Cite Black Authors to amplify Black academic scholarship, this international call for nominations is designed to highlight and recognize journals that purposefully advance research and scholarship dedicated to Black experiences or written by Black scholars. This serves as a charge to scholars that equitable and inclusive publications are necessary for the diversification of educational resources available to all. We are seeking journals that have made significant strides in the last year to publish articles, case studies, and book reviews encompassing issues or research specific to Black people or written by Black scholars. Potential themes to consider can include, but are not limited to: the Black Lives Matter Movement, digital diversity and equity, Black mental health or medical experiences, curriculum design that centers Black voice, theatrical, film, or television depictions of Black lives, and more.
Cite Black Authors will distinguish three journals with the Advancing The Call Award, which will be highlighted on the website and noted to members, subscribers, and the general public. To be eligible for this award, journals must demonstrate how their publications have advanced Black scholarship by either including research that centers on Black experiences, increased authorship of Black scholars, or both.
Submissions should include (1) the approach taken to diversify your journal’s content over the last year and how it relates to the experiences of Black people in the country your publication is produced, (2) a sample of topics or scholars included that serve the purpose of the call, (3) a quantifiable detail of these contributions in relation to the whole of research published (i.e. “60% of articles in the past year were written by Black scholars”), and (4) a narrative of future plans to further equitable research. While the editorial boards of journals do not need to be predominantly BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), we would like to understand how your editorial team approached this endeavor and how it was strategic as opposed to accidental. We are only accepting entries that focus on publications over the last year, i.e. 2020, and we are acutely interested in selecting a mix of journals that represent scholarship from around the world. Please submit your entry in English. If selected, you may choose to include your narrative in a different, preferred language on the site and/or in public forums where it will be honored.
Advancing the Call: Academic Journals Amplifying Black Research
Open: January 18, 2021 – February 28, 2021
Length of Submission: 1000-1500 words, single-spaced, excluding notes or lists of scholars/topics.
Award Notification: March 17, 2021
Please email submissions to Jennifer Sadler, CBA Team Lead, at connect@jesadler.com.
See the call in PDF here:
Would you like to write for Cite Black Authors? Send us a note on our Contact Us page.