Equity is the Equation

Xanh Tran

ASA 002 - A01

Response #2: Fight the Tower Manifesto

Equity is the Equation

                Every line of this document burns with the passionate fire women of color in academia have to right what has been wronged and to change the future for those who will follow. However, the most important lines are the very last two at the end, in all capital letters: “IN SOLIDARITY AND UNITY FOR JUSTICE. JOIN US TO FIGHT THE TOWER.” This manifesto is a call to action for not only women of color in academia, but also men of color in academia, white women in academia, white men in academia, and students of all colors and genders.

                Solidarity is the community that is built from and arises from common responsibilities and interests. A strong, supportive community is just what women of color in academia need to fight institutionalized oppression, not only in inspiring national tenure lawsuits, but also on a daily basis in classrooms. Administrators, faculty, staff, students, politicians; there is no group that can be excused for not fighting for these rights, because until there is equity, no one is equal.

                The question now is: Would the better path to equity be to use the rallies and sit-ins, to elect more representation inside the academic and political institutions, or some mixture of the two? If the latter, how? Or is there a completely different alternative method out there?