Alively, and heartfelt panel took over the second floor of Houston Hall as part of the seventh annual Women of Color in Higher Education Summit, hosted by the Penn GSE Dean’s Office, Center for Professional Learning, and Office of Student Services.
Open exclusively to women of color and nonbinary people of color from Penn GSE or the Penn School of Social Policy & Practice, the summit was aimed at giving attendees a broader set of tools with which to fight institutional inequities, confront systemic biases, overcome imposter syndrome, and own the work of self-care in a turbulent time.
“This is what students and women of color need: to hear and be surrounded by more of these stories and perspectives,” said Raquel Arredondo, the inaugural assistant dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Penn GSE. “It helps us know we are not one; We are one of many.”
The summit opened with a brief address from Penn GSE dean Pam Grossman, who discussed how the issues facing women in higher education have been near and dear to her ever since she was in the third class of women at Yale University.
“We were told in so many different ways, both explicitly and implicitly, that we really didn’t belong there,” said Grossman.
Decades later, Grossman pointed out, despite greater representation women in higher education are still beset by many of the same obstacles—and women of color even more so, as they deal with increased scrutiny, more negative teaching evaluations, and having their expertise questioned by students more than their white male counterparts, among countless other microaggressions.
Embedded in the discussion of creating empowering spaces is the importance for women of color to build human capital and surround themselves with those who will support them—and vice versa.
The keynote panel discussion addressed the mental health costs for women of color made to sit in sacrifice and comport themselves in a culture of whiteness that dictates they aren’t allowed to so much as get angry at a meeting. In a world such as higher education where many—even those who claim the mantle of progressiveness—can fail to recognize the privilege they bring to the table, aligning and surrounding yourself with those who do recognize these power structures is critical.
Read more at Penn GSE.
