Committee on Rights, Liberties, and Social Justice

The function of the Committee on Rights, Liberties, and Social Justice is to propose and organize sessions, roundtables, and workshops that support the integration of social justice issues in academia and raise awareness of civil rights pedagogy for faculty working with students and community partners. Further, the Committee seeks to promote and foster a community within the Pacific Sociological Association that is committed in social activism. [This committee was named the Committee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties prior to 2018.]

The Committee  consists of six members of the Association, two members from each region.  Terms are for three conferences/two years. PSA members may volunteer for membership to the committee or be nominated by current members of the committee; the prospective pool of candidates is reviewed by the Committee on Committees, which makes appointments. Each year the committee elects a Chair who serves for one year, but can be re-elected.

Procedures for taking committee action.  Committee action is taken following a majority vote of the committee members. This is done either at the annual meeting or by email at the request of the chair.
Specific duties of the chair. The chair must develop the agenda for the year’s activities and must convene the annual meeting of the committee. The chair is responsible for keeping the lines of communication open between and among members, for organizing and conducting meetings, for establishing sponsorship of sessions for annual meetings and assuring that sessions are entered into the online submission system as appropriate. The Chair also keeps track of pertinent member activities, writes the meeting minutes, provides leadership, and passes action items, if any, on to the PSA Council.
Calendar of activities

Pre-PSA: The Chair develops an agenda prior to the annual PSA meeting and seeks input from committee members.
PSA Committee Meeting: The members meet as a committee, elect next committee chair and discuss agenda items, including sessions proposed for the next year’s PSA meeting. In addition, the Committee solicits recommendations for prospective committee members. The names are then passed on to the Chair of the Committee on Committees.

Post PSA Meeting: The chair writes a report of committee activities and meeting minutes, due to the PSA Secretary by May 1. The report contains any sessions the committee wants to sponsor that should be included in the Open Call as well as ideas for invited sessions, and highlights activities the members have participated in throughout the year.

2024-2025 Committee Members
Melissa Thompson (25) Portland State University

2023-2024 Committee Members
Elvia Ramirez (24) CSU Sacramento
Melissa Thompson (25) Portland State University

2022-2023 Committee Members
Giselle Navarro-Cruz (23) Cal Poly Pomona
Elvia Ramirez (24) CSU Sacramento

2021-2022 Committee Members
Mehmet Soyer (22) Utah State University  Chair
Mary Robertson (22) CSU San Marcos
Edelina Burciaga (23) University of Colorado Denver
Giselle Navarro-Cruz (23) Cal Poly Pomona

2020-2021 Committee Members
Heidi Esbensen (21) Portland State University
Anthony Villareal (21) Monterey Peninsula College  Chair
Mehmet Soyer (22) Utah State University
Mary Robertson (22) CSU San Marcos

2019-2020 Committee Members
Zendina Mostert (20) Salt Lake Community College, Chair
Heidi Esbensen (21) Portland State University
Anthony Villareal (21) Monterey Peninsula College

2018-19 Committee Members
Desire Anastasia-Cartwright (18–extended to 19) Metropolitan State University Denver
Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson (19) CSU Long Beach
Heather Marek (19) University of Oregon
Zendina Mostert (20) Salt Lake Community College, Chair
and two members to begin service at the 2019 meeting

2017-18 Committee Members
Desire Anastasia-Cartwright (18) Metropolitan State University Denver, Chair
Kara Dellacioppa (18) CSU Dominguez Hills
Duke Austin (18) CSU East Bay
Pamela McMullin-Messier (18) Central Washington University
Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson (19) CSU Long Beach
Heather Marek (19) University of Oregon

2016-17 Committee Members
Desire Anastasia-Cartwright (18) Metropolitan State University Denver, Chair
Kara Dellacioppa (18) CSU Dominguez Hills
Duke Austin (18) CSU East Bay
Pamela McMullin-Messier (18) Central Washington University
Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson (19) CSU Long Beach
Heather Marek (19) University of Oregon

2015-16 Committee Members
Sharon Davis (16) University of La Verne, Chair
Stacy McGoldrick (16) Cal Poly Pomona
Becky Beal (16) CSU East Bay
Susan Palmer (16) Walla Walla Community College
Pamela McMullin-Messier (18) Central Washington University
Desire Anastasia-Cartwright (18) Metropolitan State University Denver
Kara Dellacioppia (18) CSU Dominguez Hills
Duke Austin (18) CSU East Bay

2014-15 Committee Members
Sharon Davis  University of La Verne (Southern) Chair
Maricela Demirjyn  Colorado State University (Central)
Carol Ward  Brigham Young University (Northern)
Stacy McGoldrick  Cal Poly Pomona (Southern)
Becky Beal  California State University, East Bay (Central)
Susan Palmer  Walla Walla Community College (Northern)