Article VII of the AHA Constitution states that the Association’s Council shall call a business meeting, open to all members of the Association in good standing, to convene at the time of the annual meeting. The business meeting of the 134th annual meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 5, in the New York Hilton Mercury Ballroom, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Bylaw 11(4), which provides procedures to carry out the business meeting, states that any member of the Association may present resolutions or other motions that introduce new business to the agenda of the annual business meeting. Such resolutions must

• be received in the office of the executive director not later than November 1 prior to the annual meeting, to allow time for publication;
• be in proper parliamentary form;
• be signed by at least 100 members of the Association in good standing;
• not be more than 300 words in length, including any introductory material; and
• deal with a matter of concern to the Association, to the profession of history, or to the academic profession.

Resolutions submitted by the deadline and meeting the criteria for consideration are published in the December issue of Perspectives on History and will be added to the business meeting agenda. The following four resolutions, each signed by at least 100 members of the AHA in good standing as of November 1, 2019, were submitted to the AHA executive director for consideration at the January 5, 2020, business meeting. A full list of signatories can be viewed online at historians.org/business-mtg-20.

RESOLUTION ON SUPPORTING SCHOLARS OFF THE UNIVERSITY TENURE TRACK

WHEREAS, the American Historical Association aims to embrace intellectual excellence in historical studies; and

WHEREAS, thousands of scholars earn doctorates in history, of which the majority never step on the tenure track; be it

Resolved, that the AHA should support, encourage, and engage the thousands of history scholars of all ages currently working off the university tenure track in a variety of professional settings. These historians should be welcomed into AHA leadership roles, sought out as members of prize and fellowship committees, and chosen as active participants in the review and editorial process of the Association’s premier publications. Furthermore, their continued research efforts should be supported through, among other initiatives, increased access to scholarly resources (such as databases and online journals), specialized training, funding opportunities geared toward their research goals, and programs that promote collaborative research between scholars working inside and outside of university settings. The AHA should reach out and make all of its activities transparent and inclusive of historians regardless of employment status.

RESOLUTION CONDEMNING AFFILIATIONS BETWEEN ICE AND HIGHER EDUCATION

In light of the serious and systematic violation of human rights committed by both the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Border Patrol (USBP) in recent years—and considering their presence on US university campuses for recruitment and research purposes—we resolve the following:

WHEREAS, several US universities have contracts with and host recruitment for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Border Patrol (USBP); 

WHEREAS, ICE and USBP have been cited for numerous human rights abuses at the border and in detention facilities; 

WHEREAS university contracts with ICE and USBP legitimate both agencies as a branch of government and potential employers; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the AHA urge university faculty, staff, and administrators to sever existing ties and forgo future contracts with ICE and USBP; and

Resolved,that the AHA support sanctuary movements on campuses that seek to protect immigrant students and workers.

RESOLUTION ON PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN PALESTINE-ISRAEL

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including universal access to higher education;

WHEREAS, Israel violates its obligation to these principles by refusing to allow students from Gaza to travel in order to pursue higher education abroad, and even at West Bank universities; 

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures, and participating in conferences; 

WHEREAS, Israel arbitrarily denies entry to foreign nationals, including US citizens, who seek to lecture, teach, and attend conferences at Palestinian universities, denying both faculty and students the rich experience enjoyed by their peers at other universities worldwide; 

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession are dedicated to the documentation of human experience through the collection and preservation of historical information; and

WHEREAS, the Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Islamic University in Gaza, which houses the Oral History Center, on August 2, 2014; therefore, be it 

Resolved, that the AHA condemns the acts of violence and intimidation by the State of Israel against Palestinian researchers and their archival collections, acts that can destroy Palestinians’ sense of historical identity as well as the historical record itself; and

Resolved, that the AHA calls for an immediate halt to Israel’s policy of denying entry to foreign nationals seeking to promote educational development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and

Resolved, that the AHA calls on Israel to provide free access for Palestinian faculty and students alike to pursue their education wherever they choose.

RESOLUTION ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF US CITIZENS VISITING ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession are committed to the principles of academic freedom, whose curtailment severely compromises education;

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures, and participating in conferences; and

WHEREAS, Israel arbitrarily limits the entry of foreign nationals who seek to lecture, teach, and attend conferences at Palestinian universities, denying both faculty and students the rich experience enjoyed by their peers at Israeli universities and other universities around the world; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the AHA calls for an immediate halt to Israel’s policy of denying entry to foreign nationals seeking to promote educational development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and

Resolved, that the AHA demands that the US Department of State honor the academic freedom of US citizens by contesting Israel’s denials of entry of US academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.

Participation in the business meeting is restricted to members only. Please confirm in advance that your AHA membership is up-to-date by visiting historians.org/renew.