Week 1 - Kaitlin Zheng

Kaitlin Zheng

ASA 002 A03

Week 1

“Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia,” by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde presents and illustrates the fine details of an instance of injustice and prejudice faced by Valverde in her workplace. Her story was one that was personal and reveals a vulnerable and difficult point in time in her life. It discusses Valverde’s struggle through the tenure process as she was discriminated unjustifiably by her coworkers solely based on her ethnicity and gender. While reading this, I learned of the reality of the process of achieving tenure; I was sure of the fact that administrators base qualifications based on quality of work and accomplishments. However, it was otherwise. Although Valverder had more than enough successes and publications that proved her eligibility, administration dismissed it and further prevented her from achieving tenure. Valverde faced harsh backlash from several colleagues as well as difficulty gaining services on campus she qualified for her ADHD diagnosis. This was a shock to me because all of the discrimination she went through manifested through the fact that she was simply a woman of color; her race, gender, class, ethnicity, and disability were used to become reasons of her barriers. Valverde’s journey through her fight for tenure taught her to become resilient from malicious forces against her by becoming a strategic individual. She became acquainted with individuals that were able to help and support her throughout her battle against the university department and administration. The ones that were able to aid in support became inspiration for her to voice her story of discontent with all the unfair mistreatment. To further the difficulties she faced, days after submitting her successful tenure appeal, Valverde was met with the devastation of a miscarriage due to stress and lack of self-care for her own physical and mental health. Valverde’s journey to fight for her own rights teaches us that life does not follow a step-by-step process but rather one that has unknowns twists and turns that tests an individual’s resilience. She calls forth to women of color to become educated and knowledgeable of their own rights and powers to protect themselves from the same injustices she was forced to go through. This empowers myself to become aware of oppression that others and even myself may go through and teaches me to fight for my own.

Why does racial oppression become so overlooked in the general public eye? In addition, why is inter-ethic discrimination also prevalent in places even like an Asian-American studies program?

References

1. Valverde, K., (2013). “Fight the Tower”: A Call to Action for Women in Academia, 12(2), 367-419. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

2. Brown, V. (2014). We All Can Do It [Digital]. Retrieved October 1, 2017 from https://www.bgdblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/woc-feminism.png