ASA 02 A02
Blog #2
1 October 2015
Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde exposes the injustices within the academic system in “Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia.” As a woman of color who wishes to be a professor in the future, I was intrigued by Valverde’s story. My parents were refugees of the Vietnam War, and they held the belief that they could make it if they worked hard. However, institutional barriers are prevalent, as demonstrated in Valverde’s struggle. Discrimination and biases (conscious or unconscious) based on race, gender, and class thrive within institutions like academia and others. Created to benefit some and disadvantage the rest, the system will promote certain people and lead to others’ failures regardless of their merit. Therefore, the oppressors want to isolate and silence the oppressed. If people feel isolated, if people remain silent, people will not feel empowered to fight back. Not only do people begin a personal healing journey when telling and reclaiming their stories, but also connect to others by creating a sense of community among those whom the system has treated abusively. So I wonder, do we have to play the game (meritocratically) in order to achieve success?
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