Week 1

Caitlyn Minas
A03
Week 1:  Fight the Tower
April 3, 2017


I grew up in a community and attended schools where a majority of residents and students were people of color (POC).  That's why I naively felt that I was strong enough to handle racism either because I was constantly surrounded by open-minded individuals who, like me, knew the well-known stories about prejudice and civil rights but did not have our own stories to share.  Once I began college, however, I became exposed to vocabulary such as "institutional bias" and "Filipinx" that critique social norms hold everyone accountable for their words and actions.  Professor Valverde's inspiring story is a more personal example of why we should challenge the lingering discrimination and racial bias in academia – a field where young, bright scholars grew up believing that they can be unstoppable but quickly realize they will face adult bullies who kindle friendships only to backstab these maturing professionals later.  Additionally, we place less value on teachers today because we have turned academia into a competitive business, where teachers become more disposable and students in turn are discouraged from pursuing careers in a field with little or diminished opportunities to advance.  Although I may not choose to attend graduate school and conduct research in the future, I share the responsibility with my peers and teachers to foster an enriching learning environment that educates, inspires, and learns from each other that does not use race as an excuse to define our merit.



I could not find an engaging video related to Asian Americans in academia, but here is a news story of Fresh Off the Boat actress Constance Wu and how she advocates for better Asian representation in American media.

PopSugar Entertainment (2016, Jul 22).  Actor Constance Wu Is Tired of Hollywood's "Lazy Excuse" for Racism.  Retrieved 

          from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7VQmGmy-jM

Q:  Have you learned the true reasons for your tenure denial?  Did your colleagues admit to using racial bias as a factor?