After reading the poem “Who Killed Soek-Fang Sim?” by W.P., I realized just how cruel academia works to suppress women of color. Ping later explains the great lengths Sim underwent in pursuit of a promotion, only to be overlooked by her white male colleagues. Because of their perceived superior status, they are assumed to be more competent and capable compared to an Asian American woman, who are stereotypically deemed as meek and submissive.
As women of color, we are not only discriminated against based on race, but on gender as well. There is a crossroads of intersectionality that places us at a disadvantage from the start, solely from aspects of ourselves beyond our control. Sim also faced discriminatory acts due to her illness. Similar to Professor Valverde’s case, illness- whether it’s visible or not- carries a stigma. Discrimination is not merely the addition of a hostile act but the denial of resources as well. Withholding promotion or denying tenure from legitimate and worthy candidates is discrimination, and it pains me to know that in such hostile environments, women of color are even driven to the point of serious illness.
Question: what measures or programs can we implement to ensure people of color receive the support they need in systems like higher education?
Image Source: https://themacweekly.com/76468/news/professor-wang-ping-and-macalester-embroiled-in-legal-battle-2/
Source: W.P. “Who Killed Soek-Fang Sim?”
Caroline Valverde, Cara Maffini Pham, Melody Yee, and Jing Mai. “Killing Machine:
Exposing the Health Threats to Asian American Women Scholars in Academia”
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