Update on our 32nd Annual Conference (June 23rd, 2020)
Dear friend,
We hope you are able to manage despite specific and pervasive violence, which in many ways is a second pandemic. We send you good energy and strength as a member of the H.S.A. community and family. We are reminded particularly now about the importance of our work. We strive to make H.S.A. a safe, inclusive interdisciplinary, multilingual, space for transformation.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our survey. In all, 166 people shared their thoughts. It was very valuable information as the board weighed in on a difficult decision. We heard your preferences, questions, concerns, and constraints. Most members have travel and funding restrictions and face increasing uncertainty. Many of you or members of your household are in vulnerable groups. A strong majority of members preferred meeting in some form this year, as the theme becomes chillingly more relevant.
Given the uncertainties and disruptions due to COVID-19, and given that our host institution is limiting face-to-face contact for public health concerns, we are not meeting in person this year. We are hoping to have the same theme and location for an in-person conference next year in Washington, D.C. In the meantime, we are taking this opportunity to have a dynamic and transformational online experience this year.
Making this decision now rather than later hopefully also allows us the opportunity to be proactive in addressing equity in access, particularly for our colleagues in Haiti, and keep the costs to a minimum while guaranteeing high quality organization and security.
We are conducting blind reviews of proposals now, and we are thinking through both the programmatic and technical aspects of having a successful conference. We hope to have a format ready to share soon after the July board meeting. We are looking for ways to keep the dynamic nature of our face to face meetings using an online format and are actively exploring ways to creatively harness the technology to facilitate new ways of building a scholarly community. Please contact us ASAP if you would like to help with the blind peer reviews or assist us think through the model of how to best hold this conference.
We wish you strength, clarity, and energy.
Nou la pi rèd toujou!
H.S.A. board of directors
Chè zanmi,
Nou espere ke ou ap jere sa malgre vyolans espesifik ak omniprezan ki nan plizyè fason se yon dezyèm pandemi. Nou voye ba ou bonjan enèji ak fòs kòm yon manm kominote ak fanmi nan H.S.A. Nou raple nou patikilyèman kounye a de enpòtans nan travay nou an. Tout efò nou konsantre sou fè H.S.A. yon espas san danje, entèdisiplinè enklizif, kote plizyè lang pale, pou transfòmasyon.
Mèsi pou tout moun ki te patisipe nan sondaj nou an. An tou, 166 moun pataje lide yo. Se te enfòmasyon trè enpòtan lè komite konsèy H.S.A. a tap pran on desizyon difisil. Nou tande preferans, kesyon, enkyetid, ak kontrent nou yo. Pifò manm yo gen restriksyon vwayaj ak finansman epi ap fè fas ensètitid ki ap ogmante chak jou. Anpil nan yo oswa moun lakay yo fè pati de gwoup vilnerab. Yon gran majorite manm yo prefere reyini yon fason oswa on lòt ane sa a, kòm tèm nan vin pi enpòtan ak dimansyon terifyan aktyèl la.
Akòz de ensètitid ak enteripsyon peryòd COVID-19 la, ak akòz enstitisyon ki tap akeyi nou an limite kontak fas-a-fas pou l rezoud plizyè enkyetid sante piblik, nou pa pral rankontre fas-a-fas ane sa a. Nou deside kenbe tèm nan ak nou espere lokal la tou pou yon konferans fas-a-fas an 2021, nan Wachintonn. Sepandan, n ap pwofite de okazyon sa a pou nou pataje on eksperyans dinamik k ap transfòme nou sou entènèt ane sa a.
Nou pran desizyon sa a kounye a olye ke pita nan lespwa ke lap ba nou opòtinite pou nou aktif nan fason nou pral adrese ekite nan aksè, espesyalman pou kòlèg nou yo an Ayiti, epi pou nou kenbe depans yo pi ba ke posib pandan n ap garanti kalite siperyè nan òganizasyon ak sekirite rankont entènèt sa a.
N ap fè revi anonim pa kòlèg yo de pwopozisyon yo, e n ap reflechi sou tou de aspè pwogramatik ak teknik ki pral pèmèt nou fè on gran jan konferans. Nou espere etabli yon fòma pou nou pataje byento apre reyinyon komite konsèy la an jiyè. N ap chèche plizyè fason pou nou kenbe anbyans dinamik rankont fas-a-fas nou yo nan yon fòma sou entènèt epi n ap eksplore aktivman fason kreyatif pou nou mobilize teknoloji nan jan nou pral fasilite on nouvo fason pou konstwi yon kominote akademik. Tanpri kontakte nou tout swit si ou ta renmen ede ak revi avèg kòlèg la oswa ede nou reflechi sou on modèl pou fè on bon konferans.
Nou swete w fòs, klate, ak enèji.
Nou la pi rèd toujou!
Konsèy Direksyon, Asosyasyon Etid Ayisyen (H.S.A. nan sig angle)