The American Council of Learned Societies, an organization of which 17³Ô¹Ïis member, issued a statement this past week on the role humanistic studies play in fostering equity and justice in society (). 17³Ô¹Ïapplauds and supports the ACLS statement. As a collective of humanistic scholars and seekers of knowledge about societies in areas far removed from our own time and place, 17³Ô¹Ïadheres to the fundamental humanitarian values of fostering equity and justice as it is eloquently formulated by the ACLS. Black lives matter everywhere and always. 17³Ô¹Ïdeplores racial injustice in all its forms and actively seeks to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity in all our endeavors both in the U.S. and abroad. To that end this past February as we were formulating the goals of our post 2020 strategic plan, we agreed to form an ad hoc committee on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. More news on this committee will follow on this page as we develop our program.