ASPPH Statement on Executive Order Halting Trainings on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2020

ASPPH Statement on Executive Order Halting Trainings on

Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

Laura Magaña, PhD, President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) and Sandro Galea, MD, PhD, MPH, chair of the Board of Directors of ASPPH and dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, issued the following statement on the Trump administration's Executive Order to halt trainings on combating race and sex stereotyping:

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On September 4 the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum to federal agencies and on September 22, Donald Trump issued a related Executive Order (EO), both apparently aimed at stopping federal agencies contractors and grantees from sponsoring or attending any training programs that focus on racial sensitivity or recognizing unconscious bias.

The racial sensitivity and unconscious bias training courses of which we are aware help people become more mindful of their own actions as well as their prejudices, and more sensitive to others and to the dynamics of group interaction. We agree that such programs in and of themselves will not solve the fundamental problems of structural racism. They do represent, however, an important part of our collective effort to shift culture towards a world that is welcoming of all, without prejudice. Targeting these programs is simply a political stunt in an election season; it should be beneath us.

As Reverend Martin Luther King reminded us, "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." We call on the Trump administration to withdraw these planks of the administration's political platform.

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The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is a 501c3 membership organization located in Washington, DC. ASPPH's mission is to strengthen the capacity of our 128 member schools and programs by advancing leadership, excellence, and collaboration for academic public health. Our members are CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health as well as schools and programs in applicant status for CEPH-accreditation.

For more information: Tony Mazzaschi; [e-mail]; cell 202-809-5469

1615 L Street NW, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20036 | [phone] | ASPPH.org