A Statement from The Sadie Collective Board of Directors and Advisory Council

We are members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council of the Sadie Collective, an organization of young Black women working to uplift the voices of Black women across economics and related fields. The founders of the Sadie Collective were inspired by the legacy of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, who in 1921 became the first Black American to be awarded a Ph.D. in economics, as well as by the scholarship into Dr. Alexander’s life and work by economists including Dr. Julianne Malveaux and Dr. Nina Banks.

As an organization founded, staffed, and led by Black women, the Collective aims to give credit where it is due, particularly to Black women, given the discrimination and bias they face. The leadership of the Collective respects the contributions of pioneering Black women economists who entered a profession too often unwelcoming and closed to new perspectives. The Sadie Collective seeks to build on the foundation they laid and to mobilize new generations.

We are, therefore, saddened by recent public comments from an individual we respect that could imply — inaccurately — that the Sadie Collective and its CEO, Fanta Traore, have not properly credited other scholars. We note that the Sadie Collective’s leadership has acknowledged their scholarship publicly and are assured the leadership appreciates the work these scholars have done.

We are proud to work with the Sadie Collective as they continue to pursue the struggle for racial justice and equity, to which Dr. Alexander dedicated her life, and to work to bring much-needed diversity to economics and related fields. We admire their passion, innovation, and energy and believe they, along with others, will contribute greatly to this struggle

Signed by the following members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council:

Board of Directors Members

Kristen Broady
Member, Board of Directors

Simone Gbolo
Member, Board of Directors

Marionette Holmes
Member, Board of Directors

George-Ann Ryan
Member, Board of Directors

Advisory Council Members

Funke Aderonmu
Member, Advisory Council

Jessica Fulton
Member, Advisory Council

Lea Goldman
Member, Advisory Council

Quentin Johnson
Member, Advisory Council

Kayla Jones
Member, Advisory Council

Derek Kaufman
Member, Advisory Council

Sarah Rosen Wartell
Member, Advisory Council

David Wessel
Member, Advisory Council

Kadija Yilla
Member, Advisory Council