“Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council

“Why Not Us?” By Irene Sanchez Xicana Ph.D. Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council Leslie Altamirano is 36 years old and running for Jurupa Valley City Council to represent District 4 which includes a long neglected area of the city (where the author went to high school): Rubidoux, CA. If you … Continue reading “Why Not Us?” Leslie Altamirano Candidate for District 4 Jurupa Valley City Council →

Latina Equal Pay Day

Latina Equal Pay Irene Sanchez, Ph.D.-Xicana Ph.D. Originally Published in 2017 https://xicanaphd.com/2017/11/02/latina-equal-pay/ Latinas are among the lowest paid workers in the U.S. at 54 cents to the dollar. Today marks the day Latinas catch up to white men and their earnings from last year. http://www.latinaequalpay.org/ Wages determine (unfortunately) whether people have enough to eat and … Continue reading Latina Equal Pay Day →

The Myth of Meritocracy

The Myth of Meritocracy By Irene Sanchez The scandal Operation Varsity Blues has many talking about corruption in higher education recently, but it exposes something many of us already knew was there. The unchecked privilege reserved for the wealthy of this country is nothing new. There are front doors many of them walk through such … Continue reading The Myth of Meritocracy →

Don’t Be Afraid of Your Own Voice

Don't Be Afraid of Your Own Voice By Irene Sanchez Don't be afraid of your own voice. If you are like me, as a woman, you too have been silenced. You too have spoken up knowing there would be consequences, some predictable and others more severe than you could've imagined all for using your voice … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid of Your Own Voice →

How We Survive

How We Survive By Xicana Ph.D. I am here. This is a meditation and prayer. This was the first sentence of my dissertation. It is an affirmation that as long as I am still breathing there is work to be done. This is how I not only "made it" through my Ph.D., but how I … Continue reading How We Survive →

Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia

Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia By Xicana Ph.D. The ivory tower as a whole doesn’t uplift anything, but those who reinforce it. It reinforces existing power. The status quo. A lot of folks within it do too. A lot of people who preach social justice do it every single day. Let’s … Continue reading Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia →

Exceptionalism Can Never Be Radical: On use of sCHOLAr, and other things people think is ok.

Exceptionalism Can Never Be Radical: On use of sCHOLAr, and other things people think is ok. By Irene Sanchez (Xicana Ph.D.) Resistance is more than our existence. It is the constant challenging of the idea that somehow we got to where we are because we are the good ones, the ones who followed the rules, … Continue reading Exceptionalism Can Never Be Radical: On use of sCHOLAr, and other things people think is ok. →

Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured By Degrees: A Xicana Writer’s Reflection on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D.

Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured by Degrees: A Xicana Writer's Reflections on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D. By Xicana Ph.D. "You don't build bridges to safe and familiar territories, you have to risk making un mundo nuevo, you have to risk uncertainty of change. And nepantla is the only space change happens. Change requires … Continue reading Your Brilliance Can’t Be Measured By Degrees: A Xicana Writer’s Reflection on Two Years Since Finishing a Ph.D. →