The myth that the biggest problem minorities face is that we are all underprepared sad sack poor kids is deeply harmful, and she had just announced this to the room like it was a fact that should be institutionalized in the #astro2020 survey.
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I was fidgeting and muttering under my breath and thought "oh god, as the only Black woman in the room, I'm going to have to play the angry person now." The white woman postdoc next to me raised her hand & said she found that framing of it to be problematic.
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I also eventually reminded everyone that minorities show the same interest in STEM as everyone else, but universities fuck it up. And also that we come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and preparation levels and that racism was to first order the biggest problem.
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What I haven't told you? There was a Black man professor sitting right next to this woman, at her table. I don't know him very well, and I didn't know what his views on this are.
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At the end of the day I'm trying to leave to get to the airport, but I'm so deeply upset by the stereotypes this woman was peddling that I decide to pull her aside and privately tell her how offensive it was. And what does she say? 1. "I love talking about this." BISH, I DO NOT
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2. "You know <insert name of Black man professor here>? He actually was the one who suggested those comments. I was just the messenger." GIRL YOU LET THE WORDS COME OUT YOUR MOUTH AND "THE BLACK DUDE SAID IT FIRST" IS NOT A DEFENSE
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She used her Black friend as a defense. Was he wrong? Sounds like it. But she's got a brain, right? Anyone at the table could have said, "I think that's not the right way to put it." Or she could have said "I don't agree, but one person suggested"pic.twitter.com/4IwaFkIBzD
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wow I am still so mad about this anyway, what that woman did was tokenization. she used the Black professor as a defense against criticism. She's a professional brain, but suddenly not responsible for her own thoughts because of the Black guy. White people: don't do this
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Importantly: multiple white people at my table realized that what the folks at the other table had put into their summary was wrong. You don't have to be a person of color to disagree with a person of color. You should just be thoughtful about why you're disagreeing and how.
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You don't have to be a person of color to know that someone has said something wrong about people of color.
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I have a recent example of a white women professor doing this by using her black woman grad. student as her token at a conference. She also then tries to use her undergrad. Asian woman undergrad. student to further support her point that she's the expert on race in my field.
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