Week 1 - Katherine Tran A01

Katherine Tran

Section 1

Week 1

Reading Professor Valverde’s “Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia” was certainly distressing, but not at all that surprising for me. Given how the current state of the system is, not only in academia but the workforce in general, it does not come as a surprise that the barriers women - and especially women of color - face as an unfortunate consequence of simply existing as they do. There’s a reason that so many women leave fields that are traditionally dominated by men, and it has nothing to do with their level of competence or skill - but rather the treatment that they have to endure in a “boy’s club,” as well as the outstanding lack of support even from other women. The lack of solidarity and support means that those who slip through the cracks - which by now have become much more than just mere cracks - may never be able to make their way back to where they were. Despite what many major institutions might advertise, the truth is that much of the diversity and inclusivity measures that are taken upon by major institutions and corporations are generally very shallow. They focus more on recruitment than retention, and as a result do little to actually remedy deep-set issues of discrimination, hostility, and apathy that greatly contribute to why women leave certain fields. It isn’t that women aren’t interested or motivated to join certain fields, but rather that they find they’re not welcome once they’ve reached past a certain point. And least to say, these issues don’t only apply to women; the absence of an adequate support system is almost universally applicable for anyone who isn’t white, male, cisgendered, heterosexual, able-bodied - for those who have one or more aspects of themselves that society has rejected or still rejects to uphold a false status quo. So the question remains, how far do we need to reach to actively, effectively change how the system works? How much of the system do we need to destroy?

Reference:

Valverde, K.L.C. (2013). Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia. Seattle J. Soc. Just., 12, 367.

Image Credit:

Cropped Hands Holding Placard With Text During Protest In City [Photograph found in EyeEm, Getty Images]. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2019, from https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cropped-hands-holding-placard-with-text-during-royalty-free-image/1012088188

Photograph by Martin Wheeler