Week 1 - Tian Lan

Tian Lan

Section: A02

Week 1

After reading the article “Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia”, I was astonished by the unfortunate suffering that professor Valverde went through in the process of applying her tenure at UC Davis. I have never imagined that discrimination and prejudice against woman of color could occur in such a prestigious research institution. I always strongly believe that university is a place where every person is treated equally and have the same opportunities to achieve their goal and fulfill their own potential. However, the reality is quite discouraging and even scary. In this article, professor Valverde elaborate her enduring battle between her and the injustice university system, which has a grievous impact on her psychological and physical wellness. Although she won the battle with her persistence and assistances from various groups of people including students, scholars, and administers, she has sacrificed too much for the tenure that she genuinely deserved for her outstanding contribution to Asian American study academic society. I have learned many lessons from her story, I should never give up combatting the injustices and discrimination against us and fighting for what we truly deserve. In addition, we should always ask for assistance since the majority of the people in our society believes in justices and against unethical behavior. As an international student from China, I can clearly resonate some of my personal experience with professor Valverde’s suffering. I remember that my opinion was occasionally ignored in a group including students with different racial background. However, I am not as brave as professor Valverde to fight for my voice at that time because my subconscious always remind me that I am not a citizen from United State and should be conservative and avoid involving in any possible dispute or conflict with other people. However, I should definitely change my mind and defend the respect I deserved to receive and let other people know that my opinion does matter. I appreciate professor Valverde share her personal story with me, and it will be a great inspiration for me in the journey of defending my rights in the future.^[1]

Question:

Does the injustices and discriminations also present in the workforce for man of color?

^[2]

References:

[1] Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia [PDF]. (n.d.). Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde.

[2] Guest Blogger - The Bilerico Project. (n.d.). ENDA For All. Retrieved October 01, 2017, from http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2014/10/enda_for_all.php