Departmental Diversity: Poem Analysis

I have a poem entitled “we can be there for each other.” In sequential order it outlines what I have believe to be the work necessary to work in solidarity with people different than us. One line reads “identify with privileges in the same passion as your oppressions. hold onto them for the learning and opportunities they have for you to create change.” That is how I plan to work to increase campus and departmental diversity at University of California, San Diego. I will continue to model compassionate anti-oppression values by building on the knowledge of others rather than tearing them down, will utilize my privileges to raise awareness about campus and departmental inequalities and will use that awareness to change circumstances when possible.
My introduction to the terms of anti-oppression came in my early twenties. I was newly hired for the Olympia Food Co-op, a collectively run cooperative grocery store, and part of the new hire training included an anti-oppression workshop. Then I was highly unaware of my own systemic oppression and defensive of the ways that I benefited from systemic privileges. The facilitator was compassionate with me, she met me where I was …show more content…
I became more interested in power and privilege. My studies reflect that, as I enrolled in Political Science, Psychology and Feminist programs. By studying critical race theory I developed an understanding of how privilege, specifically the access to knowledge that a college education afforded could be used to raise awareness of social inequalities for people who were not college educated. I turned my studies into Self Preservation in Everyday Oppression, an interactive workshop that by my Junior year I was hired to facilitate in colleges and organizations throughout the United States. I was utilizing my college education, one of my privileges, to raise awareness about power and