Thread by @Nicole_Lee_Sch

This year I'm making a commitment to present in virtual conferences alone. I'm going to shift my dues paying memberships to spaces that value disabled and otherwise high risk academics. And I'm going to shift my intellectual labor to these spaces alone. 1/15

Do I have the power to do this? Not really. Will anyone see this as a threat? Probably not, I'm not a big name. But I have a modicum if power and privilege, and I'm going to weaponized that power to build change. 2/15

No matter what, we have the power to shift academia by simply holding steadfast to collective demands for safety, access, and equity. We can build something sustainable by just being brave and standing resolute. 3/15

And you can do the same if you want! Here are ten recommendations for rewarding academic societies that are prioritizing safety, and penalizing those that aren't. 4/15

1. Use the "In Defense of Remote Access" document to send a letter to conference organizers. Explain that you're withholding your dues and labor until you see change. A mock letters is at the back of the document feel free to just fill in the blanks. 5/15 docs.google.com/document/d/1cA…

2. If organizers respond by asking for your labor to enact access, don't immediately come to the table. Ask what their current plan is. You don't want to come in to "fix" everything. Your ideas will be voted down unless leadership is widely committed to expanding access. 6/15

3. Find new conferences in your field. Offer your organizing labor to these spaces if you have the energy. Pay dues to these spaces. If you have the means, offer to sponsor grad students/contingent scholars so that they can belong to these accessible spaces too. 7/15

4. Sit with the impacts of international/national travel. We are in a climate crisis. Visas are rarely approved for scholars from the Global South. Travel is classist. Even for those with academic affiliations, reimbursement is a huge barrier to access. 8/15

5. If you can't imagine giving up conferences entirely, you don't have to. Find local conferences at archives and historical societies (or the equivalent in your field). Use these to create more sustainable scholarly networks in your area. 9/15

6. Form virtual writing groups. Form virtual reading groups. Find new ways to present work digitally. Engage with podcasts and YouTube. Figure out what you love about conferences, and ask yourself if you can replicate those things in a more sustainable way. 10/15

7. Read about unionizing efforts and start to think about your labor as a tool. Reassess what power you have to enact change. Think about what you're complicit in. Acknowledge the ways that power and privilege shape conference attendance and activities. 11/15

8. Think more deeply about academic friendships and socialization. Far too often conferences are framed as a kind of work holdiay to catch up with friends. Meaningful relationships can be maintained without these moments. Foster your friendships year round. 12/15

9. Think of alternatives to learning about new scholars. Who are you most invigorated by? I for one love getting to know grad students. Reach out to them, cold email people, offer virtual coffee hours to just get to know people. It's awkward at first but worth the payoff! 13/15

10. Think of the field in 5 years. In 10 years. We've been talking about the downfall of the field for decades in history. What are we going to do to make it last? If we try to replicate discriminatory systems while calling for DEI were failing to enact change. 14/15

We're entering a school year with multiple ongoing pandemics. Let's think critically about how we travel, why we travel, and how high the costs of our actions are. Conferences are planned years in advance. I want to see change now for the years to come. 15/15 #AcademicChatter

Also if there are any grad students who want to talk about #dishist you should absolutely feel free to reach out to me. I would be DELIGHTED to hear about your work and really happy to network with you.