Week 1 - Leigh Bagood

Leigh Bagood

Section A02

Week 1

Through a personal telling of her struggle for tenure in “Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color,” Valverde highlights the often obscured discriminatory practices within the academe for people of color, especially women of color. One concept I was reminded of while reading this piece was the motherhood penalty, which posits that working mothers are systematically disadvantaged in the labor force. However, it’s important to look at how women of color can be triply disadvantaged on the basis of motherhood as well as gender and race. Valverde encountered prejudice on the basis of those 3 facets in addition to many others (i.e. class, disability, etc.) in her fight for tenure. This multitude of barriers is crucial to recognizing that one person’s plight is not exclusive to identification by one group, which is why, in line with Valverde’s call for collective action, solidarity is such a significant tool for combating the institutional discrimination against any interests that do not emulate the standards of the dominant culture. What makes this discussion of institutional discrimination unique is that it takes place within an academic institution where we are fostered to learn about these types of societal issues, evident of a corporatized industry where discrimination can easily pervade. Another section that piqued my interest was on Intra-Racial/Inter-Ethnic Tension. Tension between various Asian groups is not a new idea for me, but I was somewhat surprised to see it take place within an Asian American Studies department--one that exists in part due to a historical multiethnic coalition. The irony of this situation is extremely telling of the need to address, and not ignore, the bias that exists among and within Asian groups, especially in the case of women of color in the academe.

Question: Is addressing the inequalities within groups a necessary first step to countering the overarching systems of oppression, or must changes to these issues occur simultaneously?

References:

1. Valverde,K., (2013). "Fight the Tower: A call to Action for Women in Academia", 12(2), 367-419. Retrieved October 1, 2017

2. [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://sfbayview.com/2012/10/richard-lives-more-thoughts-on-my-friend-richard-aoki/