Unveiling White Supremacy in the Academy
“Coloniality mediates all relations into inferior and superior.”
“Black British professors make up just 0.4% of all British professors – 50 out of 14,385.”
“The imperial/Racial Factor” is Linked to the Patriarchal Factor."
"How Do We Decolonize Universities Both in the West and in Africa?"
http://www.blackagendareport.com/white_supremacy_in_academia
Those are some highlights about some of the things covered in the piece.
Systemic oppression and privilege needs to be recognized by more people. A lot of that isn't happening because of its systemic nature alone.
It's importance must be addressed. I believe much of its importance is highlighted here:
When and why minority legislators matter
Research suggests a number of reasons why women and minorities remain under-represented in U.S. politics. A 2010 study by Loyola Marymount and American University found that women were 29% less likely than men with similar credentials to assess themselves as “very qualified” to run for office. Women also have concerns that they may face gender bias in the political arena. Candidates from racial and ethnic minorities face other challenges: During campaigns, minority voters are less likely to be contacted by major parties, and evidence also suggests that prejudice may harm minority candidates’ chances. According to a 2011 study from U.C. Davis, Barack Obama may have won as many as 14 additional states in the 2008 presidential election count if all states had relatively low levels of prejudice.
But how important is it to have politicians who reflect the people they serve — and why? The election of minority politicians may be of symbolic and social importance — for example Obama’s election was linked to a decreased perception of racial discrimination in the United States, particularly among Republicans and conservatives. There is also evidence that female legislators can be more effective, “bringing home” around 9% more federal spending than when the same district is represented by a man.
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/race-society/when-why-minority-legislators-matter
Both article have some excellent points. Systemic oppression foments additional oppression on the psyche of the oppressed. It's brutal. Equality in representation must be one of our top priorities.
