Stories

In a [humanities] class, we were analyzing “oriental” paintings, and several students remarked that the people in the paintings didn’t “look Arab” because they had a lighter skin tone, lighter hair, or lighter eyes. My teacher did not correct them and explain that Arabs come in all shades and sizes. This made me uncomfortable because … Continue reading ““Oriental” paintings “don’t look Arab””

A few of my fellow interns were talking about going to Pride together. I was questioning my identity (I know now that I’m bi), and I was dating a man at the time. When I asked about their plans, they said I couldn’t go and that’s what I get for being straight. It was a … Continue reading “Not being queer enough”

I was a freshman who took a popular course with 100+ other students, who were split up into various sub-sections. I (a sometimes white-passing POC woman) spoke up often to answer questions or give opinions on how the class was going. The lead professor would sometimes talk about me in meetings with the TAs (other … Continue reading ““Smarter than I look””

My freshman year, I went to eat dinner at Sabi with some friends from my hall. As the one Asian at the table, I was singled out and targeted with the classic stereotype jokes: squinted eyes while mockingly imitating an Asian language, claiming that I eat cats and dogs, asked if I could read the … Continue reading “Singled Out Asian”

A white woman colleague once told me she would love to “pick my brain” sometime because our knowledge and research interests around racism have possible overlaps interdisciplinarily. She said it in passing and as a way to forge a connection with me. But I thought, hell NO, you cannot! My brain is not yours to … Continue reading ““Pick Your Brain” about Racism”

There have been several occasions in my time as faculty here that I have witnessed white colleagues use linguistically racist microaggressions to imply that a student would not likely succeed here (or to point out why a student is likely to perform poorly in a specific major or internship opportunity) or a professor job candidate … Continue reading “Linguistic Racism”

When I got tenure, I received many congratulatory emails from senior white colleagues. I have seen some of these people repeatedly in various faculty settings over the past 6 years to tenure, and have navigated those spaces largely invisible to that “club,” apparently. The tenure emails were odd because they were clearly a rite of … Continue reading “Tenured & (Now) Visible”

In a Moodle discussion post from my class, we were asked to comment on the story of the South African Khoikhoi woman, who people now know as Sara Baartman, who was coerced by English, and then French swindlers into a contract in which she was exhibited in a human zoo. Her exhibition was deeply entangled … Continue reading “Moodle & Blackness”

I have family in Hong Kong. The coronavirus has affected my family and frankly, scared a lot of people who have family in China. I’ve been asked by my parents to search for masks so we could send them to Hong Kong, due to the extreme shortages there. I received a Snapchat from a student … Continue reading “Coronavirus Snapchat”

As an international student, I have felt belittled by my professors countless times. I especially remember my [social science discipline] professor’s comment on my first ever college paper. Despite receiving a score that was above average, she concluded her corrections with something along the lines of “I am afraid there’s no quick route for international … Continue reading “Belittling International Students”

I am shocked and disgusted by the amount of white Davidson students posting on social media, showing them and their friends drinking, celebrating, sitting by pools and on boats, and generally acting as if there is nothing else going on that warrants their attention. By posting in such a way, they are essentially saying that … Continue reading “Race & COVID White Privilege”

In the Fall 2019, two Jewish student leaders were contacted by Marketing and Communications with the vague request that they preview the new college commercial. This left them with the uncomfortable feeling that there were being asked to watch the commercial as Jews, and contacted some of the new JS faculty members to come. One … Continue reading “Jewish Students, Professors, & College PR”

I was hired to teach on a particular minority experience. Several seniors wrote theses squarely within my field of expertise. My colleagues who were teaching the senior colloquium apparently don’t think my expertise is necessary, because they never recommended any of these students consult with me or take my classes. I didn’t even know about … Continue reading “Teaching & Research Expertise”

My friend, [Asian woman], was walking up the hill from commons to the side of Belk when she heard a large group of guys who appeared to be wearing [sports team] attire. She recognized some of the guys who were on the [men’s sports] team. She was walking past them and she heard them giggling … Continue reading “Sports Team”

After my personal issues became very public, I learned that those issues stemmed from untreated ADHD. My medication helps me feel happy, motivated, and in control of impulses. However, I’m afraid of what people will think of me and whether they think my friendship is even worth it because I’m medicated.

As a staff member, I was told I was racial profiling someone because I was explaining the rules of a project to them that they didn’t like. Where is the line between insubordination and microaggression?

It’s like I’m a Ghost.  I was working with two men and we were trying to figure out what time we had a shift change. We were sitting in a circle, all pretty evenly spaced out. I said that each shift should be 35 minutes, but it seemed like they didn’t hear me. I don’t have a … Continue reading “Ghost”

I was talking to a friend of mine about a time where an upperclassman male student said he wanted to go a meeting where a lot of freshman girls would be so that he could scout out which ones he can hookup with. It was predatory and disgusting, it brought back feelings of times I had been … Continue reading “Most Guys”

In one of my classes, I was mistaken for the only other black woman in my class. This was done by a student when trying to reference a point I had brought up in the previous class discussion two days before. This point he was trying to reference was said in a twenty minute presentation I had … Continue reading “Name Mistaken”

During my visits to the Davidson Student Counseling Center, I have brought up my ex-girlfriend, who happens to be trans. Because I started dating her before she came out as a trans woman, all three of the counselors I have had have either asked what her deadname was, or referred to me as dating her “while she … Continue reading “Ex-Girlfriend”

I had a professor say that she could tell english wasn’t my first language from my essay, because my sentences “sounded Spanish”. This was a [humanities] course, and I’ve spoken english since age 2. 

My male lab partner constantly invades my personal space, spreading out/scooting his stool over so I have little to no room. One time while I was leaning in to read a measurement, instead of waiting for me to finish, he leaned over too to the point where I could feel his face against the back … Continue reading “Personal Space”

During a science class, we had a class about BMI and health and part of the lab included weight yourself and measuring the circumference of different parts of our bodies. As a fat woman who has always been stigmatized for her weight, this “didactic”  activity was very triggering and brought up a lot of fatphobia i had experienced … Continue reading “Science Lab”

I spent my whole life having to ask permission to celebrate my holidays. As a college student, I often felt that I needed to justify how religious I was in order to have the luxury to have the day off on my major holidays (something that no one is expected to do for majority-group holidays, … Continue reading “Religious Holidays”

Davidson faculty, please learn your colleagues’ names and faces to at least try and show that you know that your colleagues of color are distinct people. Of the nearly 200 faculty members total, only 40 (or so) of your colleagues are people of color. Stop microaggressing against them by mistaking them for each other. You … Continue reading “Learn Names and Faces”

getting a voter guide that was only in Spanish because of my Hispanic last name

I grew up in an era when the Crayola crayon box included a pinkish-peach color that was labeled “flesh.” As a small child, I learned and internalized color names from that box. In class here I referred to a component of a diagram as “flesh” colored and only an instant later realized the implications of … Continue reading ““Flesh” Colored”

It was about 6:00 pm on a Thursday, my busiest teaching day that semester. I had just shut down my computer and was reaching for my bag to head out to a 6:30 class at the gym (the one selfish thing I looked forward to each week). A student in my course appeared in my … Continue reading “Why won’t you help me now?”

A faculty member told me I was brave for “admitting” I was the first in my family to go to college. I do not understand why this fact is an admission rather than a statement. Should I be “admitting” other personal circumstances over which I had no control such as my eye color or where … Continue reading “First in my Family”

I remembered during the 2016 Election, everyone was crying and shouting hateful, mean-spirited things at Trump voters. I felt very unsafe on campus that day and throughout the next week.

People say “Happy Holidays” now as a means of being PC. I get it, not everyone celebrates Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, but just say “Merry Christmas” if you feel like it. People are actually afraid to say “Merry Christmas” because they don’t want to offend people. Don’t be afraid. Embrace your holiday.

A guy followed me five minutes down a beach because his friend and he had a bet to see what race I was.

Any interaction at F from sun down on a Friday to sun up on Sunday.

One time in a class, the professor had us act out a dialogue. He assigned me the role of the mother because I would “make a good mother,” and asked me to hold a baby doll. Then he asked for a volunteer to play my husband. He told us we were a beautiful couple. I’m … Continue reading “Acting”