The Bill Anderson Fund (BAF) is expanding the number of historically underrepresented professionals in hazard and disaster research fields. The poor and people of color generally face greater risk during disasters, with fewer resources for recovery, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in research professions relevant to disaster mitigation. BAF is working to change this imbalance. Named after William Averette Anderson, one of the nation’s first black disaster sociologists who worked tirelessly to recruit people of color into hazards mitigation roles, BAF was founded by his wife Norma in 2013 after his passing. BAF delivers robust professional development support to minority graduate students in hazards and disasters careers while fostering research collaborations with universities, nonprofits and community-based organizations. These partnerships provide BAF Fellows with invaluable experience in applied research, policy analysis and technical assistance that builds on their academic training to create a more inclusive disaster management community.
Norma Anderson (photo courtesy of Norma Anderson)
When Bill Anderson would return home from either being a keynote speaker, panelist or moderator at a disaster-related event, he and his wife, Norma, had a routine: When he walked through the door, he would hold up his fingers to indicate how many people of color, including Anderson, were in attendance. The number was often only one – Anderson himself. BAF was founded to change those numbers and ensure that more people of color are in the room representing those most impacted by disaster events due to climate change. BAF’s flagship Fellows Program brings together a diverse group of doctoral students representing dozens of academic disciplines in hazards and disaster studies at over 30 institutions across the United States. Through training, mentoring and peer support, the BAF Fellows Program positions them to become tomorrow’s leaders in the fields of hazard and disaster mitigation, research, policy and practice. Since its establishment in 2014, BAF has enrolled more than 100 students.
BAF Fellows (Photo courtesy of Norma Anderson)