Many sociologists are engaged with organizations in the communities where they work and live. As we were working toward launching SAN, we put out a call to ASA members asking them to share their experiences of “sociology in action.” Below is a sample of some of the important public contributions sociologists are making, organized by topical area. This is a compelling demonstration of the ways sociologists and not-for-profit organizations can work together for the improvement of our communities.
ARTS & HUMANITIES
- Grant writing and mix-methods evalution for The Girl Project – Margaret McGladrey
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LEGAL AID
- Serving as an expert witness with the Civil Rights Corp – Stephen Demuth
- Assessment and identification of best practices with the Fairfax Country DDVPPCC – Angie Hattery
- Gathering data to support reform efforts with the Public Justice Center of Maryland – Daniel Pasciuti
- Providing data to inform policy change at the department of corrections – Earl Smith and Angela Hattery
- Generating recommendations to reduce racial disparities in Wisconsin – Pamela Oliver
- Advocating for incarcerated veterans with the Veterans Legal Foundation – Tyson Smith
- Teaching in the Prison University Project at San Quentin – Jane H. Yamashiro
JUVENILE JUSTICE & CHILD WELFARE
- Social justic pedagogy at the Juvenile Hall Correctional Facility in Orange, CA – Victoria Carty
- Program evaluation and grant writing with CASA Southeast Georgia – April M. Schueths
- Using a child rights framework with the New Hampshire Juvenile Parole Board – Yvonne Vissing
CULTURE, COMMUNITY & EMPOWERMENT
- Developing research and programming priorities with The Marks Project – Anne Cafer
- Demonstrating the power of community organizing at COFI – Jennifer E. Cossyleon
- Continuing education coursework for the National Association of Social Workers – Silvia Dominguez
- Grant writing in support of culturally competent services for Asian American communites – Furjen Deng
- Tools and training to end extreme inequality with Class Action in Boston, MA – Betsy Leondar-Wright
- Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data at the Research Center for Korean Community – Pyong Gap Min
- Making policy and demographic data accurate and accessible at AAPI – Jerry Park
- Bringing in-depth knowledge to a city-wide cultural celebration in Topeka, KA – Sangyoub Park
- Evaluating a therapeutic intervention with the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center – Leslie Wang
- Program planning, research and development with the Somali Community Access Network – Anita M. Waters
- Conducting collaborative community-based research with ONE Northside – Sean Young
DISABILITIES
- Connecting students and citizens with intellectual disabilities in Ashland, VA – Jack Trammell
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
- Collaborating to disrupt the schools-to-jail track in Hawaii – Katherine Irwin
- Community-based participatory research with the Albuquerque Public Schools – Nancy Lopez
- Developing a Community Solutions Action Plan with the United Way of Erie County, PA – Joyce A. Miller
- Lighting the path to college through Partners in Education – Lata Murti
- Bringing student voices to a state-level educational reform effort with Hearing Youth Voices – Ranita Ray
- Advancing educational equity in the Mississippi Delta with Freedom Summer Collegiate – James M. Thomas (JT)
ENVIRONMENT
- Using organizational change theory to overcome obstacles at Groundwork San Diego – Hugh Mehan
- Community partnerships to study the human impact of unconventional oil and gas activity – Stephanie Malin
FAMILIES
- Multi-faceted collaboration with the Council on Contemporary Families – Kristi Williams
- Developing a documentary with El Jardin Birth and Family Resource Center – Ophra Leyser-Whalen
FOOD
- Multi-project collaboration with Women, Food and Agriculture Network in Story City, IA – Angie Carter
- Sustainable Food Production and Global Citizenship in Equador – Jill Harrison
- Evaluating a mobile farmers market with Groundwork Somerville in Somerville, MA – Sara Shostak
HEALTH & MEDICINE
- Assessing the organizational structure of the American Lung Association – Harry Perlstadt
- Developing educational materials on adolescent reproductive health with ARSHEP – Amy Schalet
- Assessing health care needs in Rwanda with Health Development Initiative, Inc. – M. Therese Seibert
- Making visible the unintended consequences of the breast cancer paradigm with BCC – Gayle Sulik
- Partnering with Black faith communities to develop HIV programming – Magdalena Szaflarski
HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING
- Creating a micro-village to address homelessness with Serve NWA in Arkansas – Kevin Fitzpatrick
- Conducting the New Hampshire Homeless Needs/Assessment Survey – Tauna Sisco
- Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act with NFHA – Gregory D. Squires
- Consulting for a recuperative care facility for discharged homeless patients with HOPE – Jason Wasserman
IMMIGRATION
- Creating the Southern Latino and Migrant Voices Project – Juan Jose Bustamante
- Applying knowledge of the Western Highlands of Guatemala – Michael L. Dougherty
- Assisting undocumented students with the Northern Arizona Dream Fund – Richard R. Fernández
- Deploying historical and sociocultural knowledge in the asylum case of gay man from Malawi – Tara McKay
- Mapping power structures in support of immigrant workers’ rights in St. Cloud, MN – Stephen Philion
- Developing an assessment of acculturation and stress with Latinos Al Éxito – Darcie Vandegrift
LABOR & UNIONS
- Applying critical race and gender scholarship in support of the California Faculty Association – Sharon Elise
SEXUAL ASSAULT & RAPE PREVENTION
- Adapting a sexual violence prevention program to the elementary school level in Augusta, GA – Allison Foley
- Pre- and post-test surveys to evaluate a sexual assault prevention program in Radford, VA – Joanna Hunter
SOCIAL SERVICES
- Evaluating social service standards with the Council on Accreditation in New York City – Stanley Capela
