On Thursday, December 17, 2020, the American Council of Learned Societies presented the latest event in its Humanistic Knowledge in the 21st Century series, “How Do We Get There? Accelerating Diversity in Slow-To-Change Humanities Fields.” A global audience of close to 400 people logged in to this Zoom event to hear a candid discourse exploring the history, current state, and solutions addressing humanities fields that, despite years of institutional efforts in diversity, remain mostly white and male.

Sharing their experiences and perspectives for this roundtable were Anita L. Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, the first African American woman to hold both a PhD in philosophy and a law degree, and the first to be elected President of The American Philosophical Association’s Eastern Division; Philip Ewell, Associate Professor of music theory, Hunter College of the City University of New York and 2020 ACLS Fellow for his work in critical-race studies in music; and Cord Whitaker, Associate Professor of English, Wellesley College where he conducts research, writes, and teaches on medieval English literature and the history of race.

The discussion was moderated by Pauline Saliga, executive director of the Society of Architectural Historians, which has been actively addressing ways to advance diversity in its field.

This event was presented as part of the ACLS Humanistic Knowledge in the 21st Century public event series.