Submitted by: SSSP Administrative Office

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the officers, committee chairs, staff, and members who helped make this program possible, and whose efforts maintain the vitality of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP). We thank President Shirley A. Jackson for her exemplary leadership in developing the 73rd Annual Meeting and its theme: Same Problem, Different Day: Recognizing and Responding to Recurring Social Problems.

We also thank this year’s Program Committee Chair – Mary Romero – and committee members, Angus Nurse, Ranita Ray, Mangala Subramaniam, and A. Javier Treviño, for putting together such an outstanding program; and Local Arrangements Committee Chair, Adriana L. Bohm, and her committee, Marilyn S. Baffoe-Bonnie, Meredith R. Bergey, Jerry A. Jacobs, and Hillary Steinberg. We thank the staff of the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel for our fine accommodations, and we particularly want to recognize the efforts made by Stefanie Mattera, Director of Sales & Marketing, Miwa Hirata, Catering Convention Services Manager and Anthony Venice, Housing Coordinator.

The Society wishes to express its gratitude to Past President Noreen M. Sugrue for her years of leadership; Vice-President Stephani Williams for managing the resolutions process; Glenn W. Muschert for his service as Secretary; and Heather E. Dillaway for her service as Treasurer.

Without these efforts by the Board of Directors, and prudent oversight by the Treasurer Heather E. Dillaway, Investment Advisor Susan M. Carlson, and the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee, the Society would not be in such a favorable position, especially in light of the havoc that the pandemic has wreaked on so many organizations.

The Society thanks Mary Bernstein, President-Elect; Anthony A. Peguero, Vice-President-Elect; Board of Directors: Kristen M. Budd, Ebonie L. Cunningham Stringer, Lauren Eastwood (outgoing), David G. Embrick, Tracy L. Peressini (outgoing), Barbara Katz Rothman, Cameron T. Whitley, Student Representatives of the Board Shaonta’ Allen (outgoing) and Shiv Issar, Giovanna Follo, Chairperson, Council of the Divisions; Annulla Linders, Earl Wright II, and Derrick R. Brooms, Co-Editors of Social Problems; Becky Pettit, Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee Chair (outgoing) and committee members Susan M. Carlson (Investment Advisor), Sarah E. Castillo, Heather E. Dillaway (Treasurer), and Nancy J. Mezey; Yvonne A. Braun, Editorial and Publications Committee Chair and committee members Alexis A. Bender, Derrick R. Brooms, Kristen M. Budd, Luis Fernandez, Kasey Henricks (outgoing), Annulla Linders, Becky Pettit (outgoing), Claire Renzetti, and Earl Wright II; and the University of Tennessee and the Department of Sociology for their continued support to host the SSSP Administrative Office. A special thanks to our sponsors for their financial contributions to program activities: Bristol University Press | Home of Policy Press, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Oxford University Press, and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Finally, the Society wishes to thank Susan M. Carlson for her willingness to serve as Interim Executive Officer until the position was filled by Elroi J. Windsor, to Héctor L. Delgado for his years of service, to the members of the 2021-2022 Executive Officer Search Committee, Chair Gillian “Jill” Niebrugge Brantley and members, Susan M. Carlson and Stephani Williams and 2022-2023 Chair Michael O. Johnston and members, Noreen M. Sugrue and Barbara Katz Rothman, and to Elroi J. Windsor for accepting the position as Executive Officer. Additional thanks to Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager Michele Smith Koontz, Assistant to the Administrative Officer Kelsey Whitaker, Information Technology Specialist Rachel Cogburn, Graduate Research Associate & Webmaster Jeremy Booth (outgoing) and the leaders of the 23 Divisions for their work on behalf of the SSSP and its members.

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RESOLUTION 2: SSSP to Oppose State Interference with Academic Freedom

Submitted by: Shannon Carter, Gender Division; Dana Moss, Conflict, Social Action, and Change Division; Janelle Pham, Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division; Myron Strong, Educational Problems Division 

WHEREAS, democracy relies on freedom of speech, 

WHEREAS, college and university classrooms are important spaces for the engagement with and discussion of important social issues under the terms of academic freedom without state interference,

WHEREAS, the production and dissemination of academic knowledge contains within it a set of checks and balances, including disciplinary standards for conducting research, the peer review process, and department- and institutional-level review of curriculum and pedagogy that assure empirical rigor and responsible teaching, 

WHEREAS, state interference in the production and/or dissemination of academic knowledge is a threat to democracy and the advancement of society, 

WHEREAS, several state legislatures have drafted and will likely pass bills that limit educators from teaching certain concepts and ideas, including but not limited to theories and research that present inequalities based in social systems such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. as well as the intersections of these systems as operating through social structures and institutions, 

WHEREAS, these and other bills also prohibit colleges and universities from recruiting faculty from diverse backgrounds as well as those whose work amplifies marginalized perspectives and voices, 

WHEREAS, the operation of power and inequalities through social structures and institutions has been documented in decades of social science research and the coverage of which is central to the sociological study of social problems,

WHEREAS, the production and dissemination of such knowledge prepares college students for job markets in myriad fields,

WHEREAS, the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the American Sociological Association (ASA), and other professional organizations already have public statements supporting academic freedom,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) will produce a statement explaining the social-scientific understanding of structural and institutional inequalities, affirming the importance of academic freedom, defending initiatives to diversify faculty, and denouncing state interference, and publish the statement on their website, and

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) will collaborate with leaders of other organizations in the discipline, including but not limited to the American Sociological Association, to sign on to the statement or produce, publish, and disseminate a similar one, and collaborate with organizations in other disciplines to do the same, and

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) will send the statement to multiple news outlets, including but not limited to The New York Times, Washington Post, and Huffington Post.

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RESOLUTION 3: SSSP to Support Gender-Affirming Healthcare

Submitted by: Shannon Carter, Gender Division; Jennifer Bulanda, Virginia Berndt, and Yuying Shen, Division of Health, Health Policy, and Health Services

Whereas, gender-affirming healthcare is associated with positive mental health and social experiences and decreased rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted and completed suicide for transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults,  

Whereas, several U.S. states are enacting bans on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults,

Whereas, legislative bans politicize healthcare access and perpetuate stigma and social exclusion for transgender and gender-diverse people, 

Whereas, legislative bans disproportionately impact racial/ethnic minoritized groups and people who have limited economic and other resources that would allow them to otherwise obtain gender-affirming healthcare,

THEREFORE Be it Resolved, that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) will join the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine,² American Public Health Association,³ American Academy of Pediatrics,⁴ American Academy of Family Physicians,⁴ American College of Physicians,⁴ American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,⁴ American Osteopathic Association,⁴ American Psychiatric Association,⁴ American Medical Association,⁵ American Nurses Association,⁶ American Psychiatric Association,⁷ in writing a statement affirming support for gender affirming healthcare, and

Be it Resolved, that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) will communicate support for gender affirming healthcare to the leaders of both parties in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the President of the United States, and the governors and departments of health in states where gender-affirming healthcare is under attack⁸.  

Notes:

1. Human Rights Campaign. Letter Opposing Anti-Transgender Laws. Oppose Anti-Transgender Laws (apha.org)

2.  Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. 2023. SAHM Statement about the Politicization of Gender-Affirming Care and Threats of Violence Against Clinicians. SAHM Statement about the Politicization of Gender-Affirming Care and Threats of ‎Violence Against Cl – SAHM (adolescenthealth.org)

3. American Public Health Association. 2016. Promoting Transgender and Gender Minority Health through Inclusive Policies and Practices. Promoting Transgender and Gender Minority Health through Inclusive Policies and Practices (apha.org)

4. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2021. Frontline Physicians Oppose Legislation That Interferes In or Penalizes Patient Care. 

5. American Medical Association. 2021. AMA Reinforces Opposition to Restrictions on Transgender Medical Care.

6. American Nurses Association. 2022. American Nurses Association Opposes Restrictions on Transgender Healthcare and Criminalizing Gender-Affirming Care.

7. American Psychiatric Association. 2020. Position Statement on Treatment of Transgender (Trans) and Gender Diverse Youth.

8. The divisions proposing the resolution will prepare a draft of the statement and provide the list of email addresses for dissemination.

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RESOLUTION 4: Guaranteeing and Furthering Socio-Economic Rights

Sponsors: Ezra Temko, Corey Stevens, Amanda Jane, Corbin Johannpeter

WHEREAS, the Society for the Study of Social Problem (SSSP)’s purpose includes “to foster higher quality of life [and] social welfare;ⁱ and,

WHEREAS, SSSP affirms the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,ⁱⁱ recognizing that human have inherent dignity that must be afforded to us; and,

WHEREAS, human flourishing requires basic needs are met, such as nourishment (e.g., nutritious food and clean water), shelter (e.g., safe and stable housing), clothing, quality and comprehensive healthcare, safe and healthy working conditions and rights to collective bargaining, educational equity and access, from preschool through postsecondary education, and highspeed internet access; and,

WHEREAS, the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet also one of the most unequal;ⁱⁱⁱ and,

WHEREAS,over 1 in 10 U.S.-Americans are below the official poverty rate, and poverty rates and impacts differ across the country by various social locations and their intersections (e.g., race, citizenship, disability status, population density, gender, sexuality);^iv and,

WHEREAS,life expectancy in the United States is declining;^v and

WHEREAS, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized in his 1944 State of the Union that the current Bill of Rights on its own is insufficient, and that U.S.-Americans also require basic economic rights;^vi and,

WHEREAS, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted in 1966, on behalf of the United States;^vii and,

WHEREAS, in 2021, Congresspersons Alma Adams, Jan Schakowsky, and Ilhan Omar introduced legislation to the 117^th Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to guarantee U.S.-Americans’ rights to housing, health care, education, and nutrition;^viii 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that SSSP affirms it is the U.S. government’s obligation to guarantee its residents basic socio-economic rights; and,

BE IT RESOLVED,that SSSP urges the U.S. Senate to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and,

BE IT RESOLVED, that SSSP urges Congress to propose amending the U.S. constitution to guarantee basic economic rights; and,

BE IT RESOLVED, that SSSP urges candidates for public office in the United States, including the 2024 U.S. presidential candidates, to support the above initiatives, to declare that basic socio-economic needs are human rights everyone deserves without exception, and to recognize this in their platforms through a robust policy agenda to end unnecessary suffering and support human flourishing; and,

BE IT RESOLVED, that SSSP will share a copy of this resolution with the President of the United States of America, Speaker of the U.S. House, U.S. House Majority Leader, U.S. House Minority Leader, U.S. Senate President Pro Tempore, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader, and U.S. Senate Republican Leader.^ix 

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