By Jenna Loyd, JEDI Committee Chair

Justice. Equity. Diversity. Inclusion. These words animate the work of the AAG committee going under the acronym JEDI. These words represent values that are enshrined in AAG’s Statement of Professional Ethics, whose second paragraph reads:

Our discipline of geography is stronger when we uphold equity, human rights, and educational freedom across the breadth of geographic inquiry. We appreciate the diversity of our members’ experiences and backgrounds, as well as the broad variety of ideas and approaches to geographic knowledge production.

When I joined the JEDI Committee in 2023, DEI already had assumed a prominent place in the campus culture wars along with the distortion of critical race theory (CRT). Since then, these acronyms have been unmoored from the meanings found in the scholarly history of critical race theory and social movement histories of the struggles against racial, gender, and disability discrimination. DEI and CRT came to mean reverse discrimination and indoctrination, arguments that situated its proponents on the right side of history and validated their efforts to dismantle it. Since 2023, 19 anti-DEI bills have become law across seven states, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education; another 75 have failed or been tabled. Related pieces of legislation have passed restricting what can be taught in classrooms.

These efforts became an opening salvo in the even broader attacks on higher education and research we are living through right now. Some universities, academic associations, and research nonprofits have scrubbed their websites of DEI. The AAG has not, nor does it intend to do so. In February, the JEDI Committee reiterated its commitments to its principles and reaffirmed the AAG’s 2023 statements of support of educational freedom, critical geography and the well-being of LGBT2QIA+ people, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

We are not backing down because JEDI is more than an acronym. When I was first learning this committee’s history, Meghan Cope explained to me that justice was an important principle informing its initiatives. Justice has more than one meaning for our discipline, a concept that often provides a way of linking issues together, from racial justice to economic justice, environmental justice, disability justice, climate justice, and more. To me, it informs why equity would be a value and suggests that inclusion itself should be just. In the introduction to their new edited collection, How to Foster Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Geography, Guo Chen and LaToya Eaves recount how decades of collective efforts to broaden the scope and societal relevance of geographic inquiry have gone hand in hand with criticisms of the discipline’s systematic forms of exclusion. For Chen and Eaves, our embrace of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion as interconnected values serves to “enrich the theories and practices that help more and more geographers feel at home and foster passion and inquiry in creating a vibrant world discipline for current and future generations of geographers” (2024, 3-4).

More than an acronym, [TLC-GRAM is] a mnemonic reminding us that care and relationships should guide transformative work in the AAG, departments, and specialty groups.

For just inclusion of groups of people who’ve been neglected or excluded from the discipline, we need to actively change the structure of our collective work as geographers. And this takes cultivating a culture of care. Over the first two years of the JEDI Committee’s existence, the committee worked with over 50 members in seven working groups to synthesize 32 points of its strategic plan into a useable framework for change shorthanded as TLC-GRAM. Like the idea that justice is indivisible, each of the elements of Training, Listening, Communications, Governance, Reports, Advocacy, and Membership are interconnected. More than an acronym, it’s a mnemonic reminding us that care and relationships should guide transformative work in the AAG, departments, and specialty groups. AAG’s Chief Strategy Officer, Risha RaQuelle, has provided invaluable leadership for this work. She launched the beta version of the toolkit at the 2024 GFDA meeting; you can read her overview of the TLC-GRAM here and discussion of how care can inform research here. At a session last month in Detroit, leadership of the Energy and Environment Specialty Group walked through how they had put the toolkit to work in their specialty group and the Committee will be finalizing materials for its use this academic year.

I think part of why JEDI work continues undiminished in the AAG is because of the decades of cultivating principles of justice as interconnected. Another reason is the longstanding engagement with care ethics, articulated by AAG President Victoria Lawson in 2005. Geography as a discipline and AAG as an association are filled with members, staff, and leadership who want our profession and field of inquiry to hold true to justice and care, even as we debate and expand what these terms mean. We know that we are responsible for making this space as a collective effort. What we do will continue to be debated and will continue to evolve. And we do this because we think the space we make to do critical work with each other is worth defending.

The AAG Culture of Care column is an outreach initiative by the AAG JEDI Committee. Don’t forget to sign up for JEDI Office Hours. The current theme of Office Hours is An Ethos of Care in the Research Enterprise.

By Risha RaQuelle, Chief Strategy Officer

In times of such profound transformation, it’s crucial to lean on the work and relationships we’ve built over years of collaboration. The strength of our professional networks, resources, and shared commitment is what helps sustain us through challenging periods.

The constraints and threats we face are real—anti-DEI legislation, funding elimination, and systemic shifts challenge the very fabric of our work. But despite these obstacles, we continue to press forward. AAG, like each of our members, is navigating the path forward Yet, we persist—in supporting your career, your well-being, and the values that unite us as a community.

We encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the resources that sustain you. We’d also like to highlight some of the support AAG offers to contribute to your success and thriving.

For Individual AAG Members

Keep up your peer and mentoring network. Use the opportunities AAG offers for members to connect—through our Annual Meeting, career-focused sessions throughout the year, and local connections through the AAG Regional Divisions. As an AAG member, you are automatically part of your Regional Division, allowing you to engage with peers near you, strengthening community ties among geographers. The Regional Divisions also sponsor events focused on the next generation, from preliminaries for the World Geography Bowl to paper competitions and travel grants.

Your career matters, and we can help. From job search tools to liability insurance, AAG wants to help you navigate your career. The AAG Job Board lists opportunities in all sectors, at all levels of experience. AAG’s member-created Statement of Professional Ethics provides clarity and peer-sourced insight into the values and principles we seek to uphold in our discipline.

Communities of practice to support you.  AAG Specialty and Affinity Groups and Communities of Practice are designed to connect you with colleagues who share your expertise or interests. Your AAG membership makes you eligible for all of these communities of practice, which are renewed annually and carry their own modest dues, generally from $1 to $5 each year. These groups can serve as vital resources for advice, networking, and new opportunities.

Dedicated AAG staff can answer your questions. AAG’s Communities Team—Eddie McInerney and Mark Revell—can answer questions and support your participation in the Specialty/Affinity Group communities. You can also sign up for AAG’s regular JEDI Office hours.  JEDI Office Hours offer individuals and programmatic leaders the chance for one-on-one conversations about your ideas, experiences, and questions. Schedule a time to talk.

For Department Chairs and Program Leaders

AAG is strengthening tools to offer leaders of geography departments and programs new ways to protect and advance the discipline:

TLC-GRAM: This bridging inventory is designed to promote strategies for increasing belonging within the geography community, especially through strategic planning. We’ve curated a collection of resources, ideas, and initiatives, aimed at fostering inclusive and supportive environments that promote good governance and focus on making sure that all members of a community feel welcome and valued. If you have adapted this toolkit or have ideas for how to do so, we’d like to hear from you at [email protected].

State of Geography Dashboard: AAG’s repository for data on geography higher education as a field of study. These data provide insight into the educational landscape for geography in the U.S., as well as insights into the field that might inform dialogues within your institution, especially strategic planning.

Each summer, over the past years the Geography Faculty Development Alliance workshops have offered early-career geographers and department chairs support in pursuing their work in teaching, mentoring, and leadership.

The Healthy Departments Initiative addresses the challenges faced by geography departments. The HD Committee assists department chairs and provides practice information that can improve program quality. To find out more, contact [email protected]

For Protecting and Advancing Our Discipline

AAG offers ways to monitor and participate in activities on behalf of the geography discipline. AAG’s Advocacy Hub provides Information on AAG’s policy stances and recent advocacy efforts. Learn about our policy principles here.

Positions and Task Forces at AAG have taken up critical disciplinary questions that can aid your direction and decision making within our discipline. One of the core such documents for this moment is AAG’s Statement of Professional Ethics.

Visit our governance page to view reports of past AAG task forces and find out about current task forces, such as the Mentoring Task Force, which is examining how to expand mentoring opportunities within geography. AAG’s Professional Conduct Policy is also a foundational document that keeps all of us accountable to one another and sets the standard for professional conduct within our discipline.

Navigating Hostile Environments

Reflecting on the hostile working conditions that critical geographers have faced—attacks on tenure, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and challenges to academic unionization—I recognize the delicate balance between advocacy and pragmatic action. We, too, face shifting political landscapes. The AAG, like you, is navigating a world where decisions are made rapidly.

Here’s what I want you to know: The AAG is your member association. As a member, you are integral to how we adapt, educate, and advocate for the discipline of geography. We are a bridge, ensuring that geography remains a space where belonging is fostered, even when forces of othering try to dominate. Together, we can continue advocating for the values that matter most to our community, even as the political climate shifts.

Moving Forward Together

In closing, our commitment to promoting scholarly spaces, critical geographic research, and JEDI initiatives remains steadfast. We will continue to publicly affirm our dedication to advancing these principles through advocacy, awards, career-enabling functions, and providing access to training for students. By engaging in these efforts, we ensure that geography remains a space of possibility, even in increasingly inhospitable environments.

Through our annual meetings, regional gatherings, and resources, AAG offers opportunities to not only share research but also connect with others who understand the unique challenges we face. AAG will always be a space where ideas are shared freely, and all members are given the opportunity to contribute.

Let’s continue to work together—to build a future where geography and its practitioners can thrive, no matter the challenges we encounter.

The AAG Culture of Care column is an outreach initiative by the AAG JEDI Committee. Don’t forget to sign up for JEDI Office Hours. The current theme of Office Hours is An Ethos of Care in the Research Enterprise.