It has almost been a year since I wrote this piece. It is still relevant as ever. In the past few months, I have had multiple people coming up to me telling me they read this. At the time I wrote it, I can’t tell you how alone I felt, knowing very well I may not be.
Work is something that is not stable for people in this economy with or without degrees. There has been an ever widening gap on the rich and the poor in this country. Degrees will not save you. Higher Education is not a stepping stone as it once was to economic mobility. In short, education as a great eqaulizer under a democracy is a myth because democracy is not a reality in the U.S. There is no such thing as meritocracy. These are all things we must contend with and discuss and move towards working for true social justice that includes addressing pressing issues of our times. The Poor People’s Campaign reminds us that this movement for economic and social justice has been long and we must insert the voices of this generation and the future ones (such as my son) to consider what we are leaving them. More on this in the near future, but for now as I prepare to faciliate a panel tomorrow in East LA on the Chicano Movement and the Poor People’s campaign, I am reminded more than ever before, why I do this, why I pursued these degrees, why I write, and why we must not stop fighting for a better tomorrow.
Solidarity, Irene (Xicana Ph.D.)
#poorpeoplescampaign #singlemothers #welfare #economicinequality #womenofcolor #poverty #socialjustice #politics
I thought the real challenge would be finishing the Ph.D. as a single mother who overcome so many obstacles to be where I was walking across a stage with my son in my arms to have a doctoral hood placed over my head was one of my proudest moments. I thought I had overcome the most difficult challenges, but I was wrong.
I had began my higher education as a community college student ill-prepared for college coursework, along with supporting myself and working multiple jobs, I was placed on academic probation and dismissal my first year. In other words, I was kicked out of community college. I returned a year later and later transferred to UC Santa Cruz where I finished my Bachelors. I then moved to Seattle to pursue my graduate degrees at the University of Washington. Almost as soon as I could after defending my dissertation, I made…
View original post 989 more words
Xicana Ph.D. 