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What Is IDC?

The Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC) is an NCFR Board Committee that serves the NCFR Board of Directors by actively promoting a community of respect that honors the humanity of all. The IDC works to (a) identify the inclusion and diversity strengths, issues, and opportunities within all aspects of NCFR; (b) develop strategies and plans to examine ways we include and exclude (however unintentionally) NCFR members; (c) enhance NCFR’s ability to meet the needs of its diverse membership; and (d) respectfully celebrate and document the successes of inclusivity approaches.

At the 2019 NCFR Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, the IDC continued its tradition of hosting both a special session and a breakfast with the aforementioned aims in mind, and with the support of the NCFR Board of Directors.

IDC Social Justice Award

The Social Justice Award for Contributions to Family Science was presented by the IDC at the beginning of this year’s special session. The purpose of the award is to recognize NCFR members for their outstanding work in the area of social justice as it relates to their work with families. The IDC defines social justice as “individuals and organizations actively identifying the dynamics of socially structured and institutionalized oppression and privilege; self-reflecting on our own socialization linked to social locations (e.g., race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc.); and acting on systematic and hidden disparities with meaningful leadership in the field of Family Science.”

This year’s recipient of the award was Stephen T. Russell, Ph.D., professor of human development and Family Sciences at University of Texas at Austin. Christi R. McGeorge, Ph.D., who presented the award noted that “Dr. Russell’s entire career has been dedicated to helping adults, youth, and families who society has pushed to the margins and discriminated against. Dr. Russell has worked to make NCFR a more inclusive and diverse organization. He has worked to make NCFR a welcoming organization for LGBTQ scholars, feminist scholars, and those who might not find a home within NCFR.”

IDC Special Session

This year the special session topic was “Revisiting Social Justice in the Context of Family Science: Considerations for Teaching, Scholarship, and Research” – Watch the video recording. Framing research, practice, and teaching in the context of social justice, as a means of promoting the well-being of families, facilitates a systematic examination of how structural inequalities, oppression, and differential privilege have an impact on family functioning and family outcomes.

The speakers addressing this topic were Leslie Amanda Anderson, M.S., LMFT, doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia; Aixa D. Marchand, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Rhodes College; Bethany L. Letiecq, Ph.D., associate professor of human development and Family Science at George Mason University; and Stephen T. Russell, Ph.D.

Anderson, Marchand, and Letiecq were authors (or co-authors) of articles published in the social justice special issue (Volume 11) of the Journal of Family Theory and Review. Some instructors have already made those articles a part of their required course reading. That special issue was organized and led by Anthony James, Ph.D. (director of Family Science program and associate professor of Family Science and social work, Miami University), and Christi McGeorge, Ph.D. (professor of human development and Family Science, North Dakota State University), both of whom also moderated the IDC Special Session.

Anderson argued that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers need to address the actual conditions that necessitate resilience, because it is unjust to continuously expect families to adapt (make internal changes) when their adverse environments (external) remain unchanged. Letiecq posited that instead of focusing solely on marginalized families, Family Scientists need to more carefully examine privileged individuals and families in an effort to better understand how and why their advantages are maintained, because that (the maintenance of those advantages) is what needs to change in order to create a more just society. Change cannot occur if we, as a society, continue to privilege the privileged. Marchand addressed how racism shapes Black parents’ engagement with their children’s schools. Biases and assumptions have often led schools to view Black parents as uninvolved because those parents are not present in ways that schools expect them to be present. Viewing parents in this way fails to acknowledge the historically strained relationships Black parents have had with schools. Marchand argued that schools must move away from the traditional ideas regarding what constitutes involvement and try to engage parents on their own terms so that their voices can be heard.

Russell, the last speaker, eloquently weaved together each presentation while also accepting the Social Justice Award. He ended by saying: “I accept this award from my friends. I reject the award from the NCFR with the history and tradition that erases my family as a family. I imagine and seek a Family Science that is based on principles for promoting social change, for social justice, for all families.” This rallying cry challenges all of us within NCFR to do better—to think about our theories, our research questions, our methodologies, our policies and practices. How are we enacting change to the systems that limit some families? How are we using our work to promote social justice for all?

Conference attendees who participated in the annual IDC Breakfast Conversation on Friday morning began grappling with some of these questions. This session created space for individuals to discuss the application of a social justice framework in their own work. For instance, attendees discussed the ways researchers have been complicit in promoting family privileges in family science. Which questions are we asking that continue to maintain the unjust status quo? Which questions are we not asking?

The 2020 NCFR Annual Conference theme will be “Family Expansions, Expanding Families: Contouring Family Science’s Negative Spaces.” This theme is meant to acknowledge the dynamic, fluid, and diverse nature of families. We hope to see you there, and we hope to hear your voices.

Members of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC): Chalandra M. Bryant, Ph.D., CFLE, chair; Tiffany L. Brown, Ph.D.; Elizabeth G. Holman, Ph.D.; Jocelyn R. Smith Lee, Ph.D.; Daphne Hernandez, Ph.D.; Kristy Y. Shih, Ph.D.; Shawn N. Mendez, Ph.D.; Adrienne M. Duke, Ph.D.; and Miriam Mulsow, Ph.D.  Contact the IDC at ncfr.org/idc-webform