So, you can imagine what it felt like to come back from Yale in July 2019, with $250,000 in funding, a nomination for one of the top honours in architecture, & a fellowship that Roxane Gay held the same year as me to find out: what I had been promised by CU was not being honoured
-
Show this thread
-
While I'd been away the uni had quietly scrapped the predoctoral fellowships. The 10 Indigenous faculty hires had almost been cancelled as well, until Indigenous faculty threatened to go public. Indigenization was going ahead, just without a firm financial commitment.
1 reply 7 retweets 134 likesShow this thread -
Anyway, long story short: I didn't get my faculty hire. I didn't get a predoctoral fellow. There is no staff member for me to second. Without backbone of the Institute I was promised in writing, I'm unable to comprehensively support Indigenous communities in ways I was promised.
1 reply 6 retweets 155 likesShow this thread -
I've been granted some partial support, but frankly given fact I negotiated in good faith with my employer, and I returned to an enviro that consistently causes damage to my optic nerves, I feel so utterly betrayed and embarrassed. I trusted an organization that does not value me
2 replies 5 retweets 213 likesShow this thread -
the hardest part is that I work with land defenders and water defenders who put their lives on the line to protect their homelands against egregious violations by states and corporations. I was led to believe I'd have funding+support in place to make their work easier. I don't.
1 reply 8 retweets 172 likesShow this thread -
I've shared this story with peers over last few years, trying to get someone to honour what I was promised in writing, what I gave up a lucrative employment opportunity for. Folks commiserate in private but without public discourse, first gen profs like me will always be harmed.
2 replies 4 retweets 174 likesShow this thread -
at this point it's not even about me. It's about the fact that three years ago I was offered something that was expansive, powerful, trail blazing, that was supposed to help communities do amazing work on the ground. And all I have is this depressing story of settler betrayal.
1 reply 10 retweets 225 likesShow this thread -
I feel so tired. Bone tired. I trusted the wrong settler institution, and I've paid with my body, with my spirit. I failed my stepdad. I failed my amazing community partners. I was duped. I am embarrassed. I am exhausted from fighting it all. I just want to honour the fish.
9 replies 5 retweets 193 likesShow this thread -
I truly hope this story can be useful to someone. I hope you can know your worth in ways I didn't fully understand then. I want you to flourish. I want you to work with folks who inspire you. I don't want you to have to fight these cunning institutions.
1 reply 9 retweets 198 likesShow this thread -
After nearly dying of COVID last year, I now know that we have to dream beyond these universities, these government ministries, nonprofits, corporations, and other settler organizations. We exist regardless of their approval, of their budget lines. But damn, we deserve to fly.
20 replies 35 retweets 459 likesShow this thread
So much support. Thank you for sharing.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.