Diversity/Equity

The Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEAB) Committee

The Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEAB) Committee is a standing committee of the Costume Society of America Board of Directors led by the Vice President of Internal Relations. The DEAB Committee promotes and advocates for DEAB initiatives and philosophies throughout Costume Society of America by:


  • amplifying members’ voices, particularly of those within historically marginalized communities while promoting the rejection of bias against these communities
  • identifying policies and practices that are inequitable both within CSA and in the broader field of costume studies and practice
  • meeting with various CSA leadership members as needed to inquire about current and future DEAB-relevant initiatives; establishing how the DEAB committee can inform or support said initiatives
  • cultivating a sense of belonging for all members, but particularly those that have been historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in the organization and/or field, with targeted initiatives approved by the CSA Board.

  • DEAB Statement

    The Costume Society of America network of members studies the past, examines the present, and anticipates the future of clothing and fashion. We, as an organization, commit to eliminate discrimination and provide equitable treatment of all members and those affiliated with CSA. We aim to reject white supremacy, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, fat phobia, xenophobia and other biases in the organization’s future practices. We pledge to provide and maintain a community that respects all races, genders, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, abilities, nationalities, and ethnicities.


    Dress can define, unite, and divide people. It is an integral point of culture and identity. We respect the individual experience and viewpoint. CSA expects its members to assume positive intent when we express opinions through dialogue and discourse. We advocate freedom of expression through research, publishing, exhibition, and other creative endeavors. Moreover, we highly encourage scholars and professionals to conduct all of their work with a heightened attention to diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging (DEAB) issues. As professionals, we recognize the gravity and sentiment of these issues.


    We remain committed to continual education on diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging issues so that we can continually improve as an organization. We are committed to developing action items to promote diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging that are based on goals as outlined in our current strategic plan (Increase diversity in our membership and in subject matter and research, including hidden, overlooked, and marginalized topics) and future goals as identified by CSA’s DEAB committee.

  • DEAB Committee Members

    Melissa Gamble and Arti Sandhu currently serve as co-chairs of the DEAB Committee. 

    • The membership aims to represent the diversity of the organization and should seek to include individuals who feel able to bring heightened critical attention to intersecting historically marginalized identities via understanding of DEAB issues and injustice.
    • All members of the committee must be current members of CSA. 
    • The membership should include at least one representative from each of CSA’s regions and aims to represent a variety of disciplines and specialties.

    If you are a member and are interested in helping us with this work by serving, please fill contact the co-chairs at national.office@costumesocietyamerica.com.

Feedback?

Our members are important to us. CSA is committed to growing and improving as an organization. To do that, we need your input. We invite you to share feedback, suggestions, and concerns with the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging Committee by clicking here to contact us:

Contact the DEAB Committee