News — The American Sociological Association (ASA), together with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the AFT-Maryland, filed a complaint today in federal court in Maryland that challenges a “” published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on February 14, 2025. If implemented, the restrictions in this letter will fundamentally change how sociology is taught and how sociological research is conducted, and it could potentially lead to the shuttering or further shrinking of sociology departments across the United States.
“Sociologists examine society and group behavior, including race and racial inequality,” said ASA President Adia Harvey Wingfield. “Studying and teaching about social movements like the Civil Rights Movement, economic disparities caused by redlining, or immigration policies is impossible without acknowledging the central role of race in these and many other social phenomena. This memo doesn’t just hinder sociologists from doing our jobs or merely violate our right to free speech— it inflicts a profound disservice upon students who gain from a more comprehensive understanding of the world and upon society as a whole that benefits from our discoveries about human behavior.”
Read the full press release issued by Democracy Forward and the entire complaint filed .
About the American Sociological Association鈥�
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society.
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