Week 1

Troy Lui
ASA 2 Section 3
Week 1

In Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde's, "Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia," Valverde explains her tough battle through the university system. Through her personal experience, she sheds light on how women of color are not welcome in the academe. Kind of like the idea of a "glass ceiling", or a barrier (such as being a minority) that potentially prevents advancement in the work place, women of color are pushed back by not only being a minority but also from being a woman. In addition to this, the journal says, "people of color are disproportionately overlooked for tenured-track positions, and if hired, are frequent targets for dismissal. (Valverde 375)" That being said, women of color in the academe may be considered expendable when compared to other workers. As a result from being relatively more expendable, they tend to be paid less. Overall, women of color can have a harder time advancing in the university system, which could explain how much of a struggle it was for Valverde.

All in all, I appreciate this journal not only because of the compelling story told, but also because of its function to be a call to action. Fulfilling her own call to action, Valverde tells her story so that others can become active in fighting for their rights. Looking back at her call to action, I think that remembering to outsource to people can be very beneficial seeing that the colleagues that Valverde met also helped and supported her greatly.

Question: Do you think that the degree of discrimination in an institution is dependent on the dominant culture it's in?

References

Flynn, Linda. "Breaking Glass Ceilings in Higher Education." Chemonics. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017

Valverde, Kieu-Linh C., Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia. (2013): 367-419. Print.

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