As you probably know, archaeology is a largely white profession and has been for decades. The same systems developed during post-Columbian colonialism that created BIPOC people created archaeology. It also created whiteness, which means the same racial mores white archaeologists are acculturated to internalize peek through in the interactions white archaeologists have with BIPOC archaeologists.
Even though I’ve been writing about it for a decade now, I’m not the only one who’s noticed the problematic things that can arise from the monoraciality of archaeology. Here are a couple relevant articles:
https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/archaeology-diversity/
Racial microaggressions are one of the things that happens when white archaeologists who are not used to interacting with people outside their race find themselves in the spaces with archaeologists of color. As Americans our understandings of race are deeply, subconsciously embedded in our psyche. We’ve all heard slurs and stereotypes our whole lives even if we don’t use them ourselves. So, most of us have to be seriously vigilant to keep from inadvertently saying things that are hurtful, racist. We all know not to say the N-word to Black people or use other derogative terms for Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and others (I’d also like to add that we shouldn’t say derogatory things about poor whites either even though these frequently slip past our racism sensors). Being an antiracist takes work. The work begins with the things we think and say.
BIPOC archaeologists have also been calling on other archaeologists to address these microaggressions and eliminate spaces where they can exist in archaeology. These calls for action have been met with mixed results.
Why don’t things change?
A dedicated group of white archaeologists have joined us and rallied to the cause. These accomplices have been helping us all the while. They’re the real reason why anything in archaeology has changed at all because there are too few BIPOC archaeologists to change these large organizations. A select few white antiracist archaeologists allied with the few BIPOC archaeologists have made a measurable difference. But there is more to do.
Meanwhile, international, national, and local archaeology organizations have floundered to address this issue. The responses from archaeology organizations have ranged from “We don’t have a problem with racism. Nobody’s burned a cross or done a Nazi salute in the middle of a conference,” (Actually someone did do a Nazi salute and the SHA immediately addressed it, which shows you they can act swiftly if they really wanted to). We also hear “We can’t make people be nice,” or “We don’t have the power to police our members’ actions,” or “What exactly are you talking about. Please tell me EXACTLY what racism you’re talking about and we’ll make a rule specifically about that one particular, very targeted, one-off action.”
We BIPOC archaeologists see all of these (non)reactions as typical stall tactics. When faced with dealing with their own negative actions, these extremely conservative archaeology organizations administered by white people will flounder, delay, pass the buck, stall, recommend things to powerless committees, do “fact finding,” “surveys,” “interviews,” “investigations,” and otherwise fail their membership. They really don’t know what to do and don’t listen to their BIPOC members. We’ve been telling them what’s wrong for decades. They don’t listen (Well some do but not enough to convince these administrative boards to take massive action).
This standstill happens because archaeology organizations are almost 100% operated by volunteers. There are usually only one or two paid employees, but our professional organizations are just archaeologists volunteering to do unpaid labor most members won’t recognize. This is because archaeologists don’t pay enough in dues to afford better management because archaeologists don’t make enough money to pay more for their professional organizations and professional organizations don’t give enough value for archaeologists to pay a higher price (RPA anyone?). Nobody is getting paid. Nobody is afraid of losing their jobs, so nothing gets done.
“Do-nothing” also happens because stalling out BIPOC requests is a time-tested way of dealing with the requests of non-white people. Throughout American history companies, government agencies, and other organizations have learned that if they can just delay long enough, we’ll give up and leave them to their old ways. Either we’ll leave the organization or we’ll remain a silent, dejected member whos’ still paying their dues. BIPOC archaeologists will just accept that the organization isn’t serving their needs. We’ll expect less and settle for a couple magazines each year and will keep going to the conference to hang with our friends each year. Or, we’ll get mad enough to start our own organization like the Society of Black Archaeologists (https://www.societyofblackarchaeologists.com) (Actually, this is what I suggest for all BIPOC archaeologists. If you want to feel heard and accepted, you should start your own archaeology organization. The SBA has been the only place I’ve ever felt welcome and comfortable since I started doing archaeology in 2004. See below if you want to know more).
What are microaggressions in archaeology?
Like I said, I think many white archaeologists are not aware of how pervasive microaggressions are in archaeology and how these microaggressions make BIPOC colleagues feel about archaeology organizations. Basically, they make us not want to be members. I’m reaching point in my career where I just avoid most archaeology gatherings if I know it’s going to be mostly white archaeologists I don’t know because I know that I’m going to keep hearing ignorant, insensitive little remarks every couple hours that will force me to either 1) stand alone and take action, potentially being that “Angry Black Man,” or 2) blow it off and try to find a way to roll with it even though its gonna stew in my mind for decades. These days, I just give my presentation, go to the committee meetings and panels I have to attend, see the presentations I want to see, and then I just ghost out. No attending opening statements. No banquet dinners. No president’s receptions. No networking events. No student receptions. After 20 years, I’m just tired and I don’t want to stop doing archaeology because I have to be around other white archaeologists. (Students if you’re looking for me at a conference, send me an email and I’ll arrange a time to meet with you. Otherwise, I’m a ghost.)
In 2019 I joined the Coalition for Diversity in California Archaeology (CDCA) because I wanted to be a positive influence on young BIPOC archaeologists, I wanted to meet other BIPOC archaeologists in California, and wanted to push antiracism in the archaeology organization that represents the most diverse state in the country. Being a CDCA member has been such a joy whereas being a Society for California Archaeology (SCA) member has been benign at best. The SCA isn’t worse than any other professional archaeology organization. It just hasn’t been better than any other org. Same stuff, different audience.
In the recent edition of the Society for California Archaeology Newsletter, CDCA members wrote a piece on the microaggressions we faced at SCA events (Vol. 57[2]:25—29) (https://scahome.org/sca-publications/newsletter/current-newsletter/). Here’s a synopsis:
The CDCA organized an antiracism training that few SCA members attended: It was a major task to get a white organization to pay for an antiracism training and very telling that the members were too busy to attend. Most of the attendees were BIPOC, which is another example of the few of us shouldering the burden of the many. Maybe that’s why CDCA members had so many microaggressions at the subsequent conference.
Patronizing responses to the existence of the CDCA: A white archaeologist told us, “BIPOC people just don’t want to do archaeology.” No. BIPOC people don’t want to be around archaeologists like you. Then they added, “You should just marry rich” if you want to become an archaeologist. Nah. You should do whatever you want regardless of how much your partner makes, that is if you even have a partner. FYI: I’ve heard this same sort of thing at Society for American Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology, Idaho Archaeology Society, and the Northwest Anthropological Conferences. I’ve also heard it a lot when I did CRM full time. It’s pervasive. Interactions like this are a major reason why the SBA and CDCA exist.
And, that type of $hit gives us an insight into what white archaeologists are thinking. It was a truthful moment. We got to see directly into the mind of an overconfident white male archaeologist. Now we know their true colors and can use our “Whisper Network” advise other BIPOC archaeologists and women as to what they can expect from this guy (Our Whisper Network is exactly what you feared. It’s secret insider knowledge we share with other BIPOC in a way that BIPOC can understand but we don’t share this info with white archaeologists. That’s right. We have secrets about you. We use our personal network to protect ourselves from the racists in this industry. It’s an underground secret society of BIPOC archaeologist, professors, CRMers, and Tribal administrators. We don’t tell y’all how we feel about you to your faces. We just talk amongst ourselves to support each other and get around you all when you try to stop us. Think of it as an Underground Information Superhighway that you’re not allowed to ride on.)
Thinking BIPOC members are part of the hotel service staff: This is a new one for me, an African American, but Asian American and Hispanic archaeologists have told me about this shenanigan several times in the past. A white SCA member asked a Hispanic member to bring them silverware even though they were selling raffle tickets for the silent auction. Other white archaeologists at the table didn’t say anything even though they knew the Hispanic archaeologists was a member and didn’t work for the conference venue.
This one is so rude I don’t really want to respond in writing. It enrages me. It’s why I don’t go to your banquets anymore even if you give me a free ticket. The silence of the other white folks was another truthful moment. You showed your true colors. White silence helps keep white racism alive in archaeology.
We did one antiracism training so we’re antiracists now. Racism in the SCA has been solved: Antiracism trainings don’t solve problems. They exist because your organization has problems. This interaction also shows that antiracism trainings aren’t going to solve the problems SCA archaeologists have. Perhaps publicly shaming racists in the SCA newsletter is a better fix, which is why we wrote that piece. Becoming an antiracist is a lifelong quest. A three-hour training isn’t going to fix 500 years of racism or 50 years of you living in a racist society. But, an antiracism training should give you the tools you need to take the first step on that lifelong quest. Thinking the training was a one-time thing pretty much shows the world that you didn’t listen and haven’t integrated those training’s lessons.
I encourage you to download this SCA Newsletter edition to read the full text of the CDCA’s outline of micro aggressions as well as the SCA president’s response.
Just tell us the truth
I wish for once the leadership of one of these archaeology organizations would just tell BIPOC members the truth:
“Racism isn’t directly hurting me. I have a lot of other stuff I care about and antiracism isn’t one of them.“
I’ve been part of these organizations for 19 years. Folks were clamoring for change in archaeology long before I became an archaeologist and change has been happening, but it’s been at a glacial pace. Seriously. As a profession, we’re literally waiting for the sexist, racist, patronizing seniors to retire rather than dislodging them from their spaces of leadership. Rather than exposing them and letting them become pariahs, the plan is to wait decades upon decades for them and all the folks they mentored to stop doing archaeology.
The SAA and SHA have been asking what they can do to increase diversity in their organizations for 30 years. This is an even more important question since affirmative action was just struck down this week and the pandemic decimated BIPOC and poor white enrollments over the past couple years. The time for change is now but the people leading these organizations are not going to be the source of that change. Non-members, students, and the few BIPOC archaeologists are going to be the ones who change American archaeology for good.
What’s the solution?
I think the solution is a strategy rooted in a combination of Garveyite Black Nationalism mixed with a confederation of BIPOC leaders as exemplified by the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (NATHPO).
Step 1: Start your own archaeology BIPOC society. Marcus Garvey most clearly told us that we need to proactively establish our own infrastructure, organizations, and economic base to support our own goals. I do not speak for the other members of the Society of Black Archaeologists but the organization was created to further the goal of the preservation of Black historical sites throughout the Diaspora as well as training the next generation of Black archaeologists.
Check it out (https://www.societyofblackarchaeologists.com/about/):
“The Society of Black Archaeologists was created in 2011 with five goals in mind:
- To lobby on behalf and ensure the proper treatment of African and African Diaspora material culture;
- To encourage more people of African descent to enter the field of archaeology;
- To raise and address concerns related to African peoples worldwide;
- To highlight the past and present achievements and contributions that people of African descent have made to the field of archaeology, and;
- To ensure the communities affected by archaeological work act not just as objects of study or informants but are active makers and/or participants in the unearthing of their own history.”
The SBA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that is now capable of administering its own grants. Membership funds are used to sponsor Black archaeology projects, help Black students pursue their studies, and help Black folks in Africa and South America attend archaeology conferences. Membership and funding are growing. It won’t be long before we’re able to have our own conference independent of the SHA; however, I still hope the SBA maintains a close relationship with the SHA because the existence of the SBA has made a noticeable, positive impact on the SHA and its membership.
Currently, the SHA has the most diverse board of directors of any American archaeology organization. While the organization still has flaws, it has a long-standing antiracist position and has operated annual antiracism training for a decade. The result an antiracism praxis that is permeating deeper into the organization and there is a much deeper emphasis on BIPOC archaeologies in the SHA (https://sha.org/blog/2012/08/diversity-and-anti-racism-in-the-society-for-historical-archaeology/). SHA members fought for this and have maintained a close partnership with the SBA since the latter’s conception.
I would also hope that, one day, a real estate trust like the National Trust for Historic Preservation or the Stadsherstel (https://stadsherstel.nl/en/home/) is created to preserve Black sites, rehabilitate historic properties in Black neighborhoods and communities, and provide homes for low income people of all races while also teaching the world about Black history in those places. It seems like a big dream, but all the legal and financial frameworks already exist. We just need someone to start the process.
Step 2: Commune with other POC. The NATHPO is the largest directory of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices in the United States (https://members.nathpo.org/thpodirectory/FindStartsWith?term=%23%21). Federally recognized Native American tribes have a unique relationship with Federal and State agencies, which enables some things that Asian American, African American, Hispanic, and other groups cannot do. For example, consultation with Federally recognized tribes is required under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) as well as “other parties.” But agencies only make an effort to consult with tribes. “Other parties” are frequently left out. Nevertheless, I think other BIPOC archaeology organizations can learn a lot about historic preservation, CRM archaeology, and administering trust lands from Native American tribes.
I hope that one day THPOs can show other BIPOC preservation and archaeology groups how racialized people can act to take back and administer their heritage sites for the benefit of our own people.
Step 3: Recruit BIPOC students to help BIPOC people. None of this can be sustained without bright, energetic, young minds. Archaeology repels most BIPOC students because it requires a lot of expensive education that results in jobs with low pay and forces them to stay in unsupportive white archaeology organizations for most of their careers.
BIPOC people need to cultivate BIPOC CRM archeologists to handle the needs of BIPOC communities. We need minority-owned CRM companies that sponsor and train BIPOC students in CRM archaeology method and theory. The key will be to capitalize these companies with actual assets like real estate, land, and other investments so they have other sources of revenue than just CRM contracts. Because of our precarity, BIPOC archaeologists need a stable corporate environment; few of us can endure the “feast and famine” nature of most CRM companies.
Most of all: I hope all of these things done to help BIPOC archaeologists end up transforming archaeology for the benefit of all archaeologists.
What we are looking for in archaeology is not outside of us. It is inside our minds and hearts. The place we want to realize is already here we just don’t see it. Becoming antiracist means reforming your thoughts until you see people for who they are rather than who you think they are. None of us is doing archaeology only to learn about the past. We’re doing it to learn how we got to be who we are in the present with the goal of becoming better stewards of this world for future generations. This all begins with the thoughts you think, the things you say, and the way your thoughts and sayings influence your actions. The fastest way to realize the archaeology you are seeking is to start with your thoughts.
The NHPA has been around for 56 years and the same problems facing archeology before 1966 are still here today. Archaeologists still take their privilege for granted. It is time for a completely different vision. I believe focusing on making things better for those who are in the most precarious positions, most overlooked, and most ignored has the potential to make things better for everyone in archaeology today. It also has the potential to swipe the ignorant, racist archaeologists who benefit most from the existing system into the trashcan.
Having trouble finding work in cultural resource management archaeology? Still blindly mailing out resumes and waiting for a response? Has your archaeology career plateaued and you don’t know what to do about it? Download a copy of the new book “Becoming an Archaeologist: Crafting a Career in Cultural Resource Management” Click here to learn more.
Check out Succinct Research’s contribution to Blogging Archaeology. Full of amazing information about how blogging is revolutionizing archaeology publishing. For a limited time you can GRAB A COPY FOR FREE!!!! Click Here
“Resume-Writing for Archaeologists” is now available on Amazon.com. Click Here and get detailed instructions on how you can land a job in CRM archaeology today!
Small Archaeology Project Management is now on the Kindle Store. Over 300 copies were sold in the first month! Click Here and see what the buzz is all about.
Join the Succinct Research email list and receive additional information on the CRM and heritage conservation field.
Get killer information about the CRM archaeology industry and historic preservation.