Week 1 - Anneka Christie A02

I have always known racism was a tragic yet very real problem in society, even today. However, I had not known that racism affected university politics to the degree it was described in "Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia." It is unfortunate but I had assumed that the racial stereotypes associated with Asians and Asian Americans was “positive” (still harmful, and only positive relative some other racial stereotypes). Professor Valverde described in this article the relentless abuse she had faced on her journey to tenure. One would think that the people who made up university staff would welcome diversity and hard work openly, but Professor Valverde exposes just how present the obstacles women of color face even in higher education.She was constantly undermined by a self-proclaimed “feminist,” treated unfairly by the department chair, and was denied tenure despite her work being well worthy of the honor. The mistreatment of Professor Valverde is apparent throughout her account but even more so when her medical diagnosis, birth of her second child, and serious emergency were used as excuses to punish her. Reading this article stirred up a mixture of emotions. Part of me couldn’t believe that such blatant disrespect and unfair treatment went on at a university, and yet part of me was sad because it simultaneously didn’t surprise me. I am inspired from it to intervene when I see racism and unfair treatment, and I learned to not expect any safe spaces from this unacceptable behavior. 

Question: What was one thing that a coworker (bystander) could have done but didn’t that would have greatly helped the situation(s)? What stopped them from intervening? How can one overcome those hesitations in real life?


References:

Valverde, K. C.  2013.  Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia.  Seattle Journal for Social Justice, Volume 12, p.367-419.