Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Week 1- Helen Jian

Helen Jian
Section A02
Week 1
            In our society, discrimination is something that happens way too often even though it should not. In professor Valverde’s article, “Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia”, she shared with her audience the struggles and discrimination that she had to go through in order to receive her tenure. Despite being constantly put down by people she thought were her peers and advisors, professor Valverde not only shared with us her story, but also demonstrated to us that you can achieve your goals with determination, and the right support system. She had a strong community that fought alongside with her for what she deserved and for fighting against the discrimination she faced. The article opened my eyes to the many possible corrupt actions that a university department is capable of. To discriminate a person based on their skin color and possible special needs that they may have is simply wrong and very dehumanizing. A university and their staff are supposed to be there to help their students achieve their full potential, not to kick them down and say that they cannot do something based on their skin color and race. Professor Valverde also demonstrated her strength in this article because no matter how many times things went wrong; she pushed through the obstacles and thrived. This certainly motivated me into working harder for the career that I desire and it made me think in the mind set that no matter how many people try to put you down, you need to keep striving for your success because it will come as long as you do not give up.


Question: If you were to re-live the years of your life that you faced while obtaining your tenure, would you have done anything differently?

References:
Valverde, K. (2013). Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 12(2).

Susman, David. Stop Discrimination Toward People With Mental Illness. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.


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