The American Sociological Association (ASA), together with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the AFT-Maryland, filed a complaint in federal court in Maryland on February 25 that challenges a “Dear Colleague Letter” published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on February 14, 2025. If implemented, the restrictions in this letter will fundamentally change how sociology is taught and how sociological research is conducted, and it could potentially lead to the shuttering or further shrinking of sociology departments across the United States.
“Sociologists examine society and group behavior, including race and racial inequality,” said ASA President Adia Harvey Wingfield. “Studying and teaching about social movements like the Civil Rights Movement, economic disparities caused by redlining, or immigration policies is impossible without acknowledging the central role of race in these and many other social phenomena. This memo doesn’t just hinder sociologists from doing our jobs or merely violate our right to free speech— it inflicts a profound disservice upon students who gain from a more comprehensive understanding of the world and upon society as a whole that benefits from our discoveries about human behavior.”
Read the full press release issued by Democracy Forward here and the entire complaint filed here.
To arrange an interview, contact ASA Director of Communications and External Affairs Mary Spiro at [email protected].