Week 2 Blog

Anahi Rivera

10/2/2015

Both the article Women of Color in Academia Manifesto and Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia, by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, women of color are characterized as weak individuals who are affected by the bias assumptions of students, teachers, and other faculty members. The first article discusses the hardships these women go through some which result in “mental, emotional, and physical harm” (Valverde) due to the high standards “set out by and for the institutional establishment” (Valverde) but even when those standards are exceeded there is no guarantee for equality. The unfair stereotypes silence women and make them feel inferior. One example of unfair treatment is discussed by professor Valverde in her article where she recounts the hardships went through as a woman of color. She mentions how although she was professionally prepared she was not yet ready for the “treacherous political terrain of the university system” (Valverde) which almost led to her death. Something that captured my attention while i read her article was when she mentioned that “academia for a women of color is toxic” (Valverde) because of the discrimination and barriers set by others that impedes advancement. All the oppressions women are forced to go through just proves how unfair our society is and the torment some unwillingly live under. 

Question: What would the world be like without women of color? Would there be any differences on the way society views women?