41027 - Racism and Identity Taxation in and Beyond Academia: The Future of Equity Work for Marginalized People in the US Work Force

Description

This session examines how the extra labor associated with racism continues to affect marginalized people’s experiences in and beyond academia. Amado Padilla (1994) coined the term “cultural taxation” to describe “diversity-related” service burdens expected of faculty of color that were not expected of white colleagues. Tiffany Joseph and Laura Hirshfield (2012) extended Padilla’s concept, developing “identity taxation” to describe how intersecting marginalized identities increased taxation for Black women, women of color, and women in male-dominated fields, particularly as they engage in "equity work" to improve the experiences of marginalized people (Wingfield 2019). Since the police murders of George Floyd and other Black Americans and institutional denouncements of racism in the summer of 2020, subsequent overturn of affirmative action in college admissions, and backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, marginalized people have been under attack in the US work force. This panel will highlight the various types of identity taxation and equity work that marginalized employees of different ranks experience in various occupations. Panelists will discuss how have they have applied sociological concepts to taxation scholarship and the implications of taxation in and beyond academia. Panelists will also share strategies for navigating identity taxation in this socio-political climate.

Sub Unit

• Thematic Session

Presider

• Laura Ellen Hirshfield, University of Illinois at Chicago

Panelists

• Ruth Enid Zambrana, University of Maryland-College Park

• Tsedale Mekete Melaku, CUNY-Baruch College

• Caleb E. Dawson, University of California-Santa Barbara

• Victor E. Ray, University of Iowa

• Angie Beeman, CUNY-Baruch College

Session Organizers

• Tiffany D. Joseph, Northeastern University

• Laura Ellen Hirshfield, University of Illinois at Chicago