The View From Here

In the past month there has been news about the place I had worked regarding racial profiling by the security officers. As a result there was a rally but this isn't the first time this has happened. There was a rally there two years ago about the same issue and reality about racial profiling of students, staff and faculty of color. There's much to comment on but I will focus mine about the statements made about how there has been "only one" formal report in the past two years by one faculty of color, which must mean there is no problem, right? Well, that's no different than saying that there have been no reported sexual assaults and rapes (and unfortunately there are many campuses who report such statistics) so that must mean it can't be happening on our campus. I believe that many would say that such a statement is ignorant at best and outright false at the worst. For those who made such comments haven't thought about how the bias incident protocol ...

It's hard to believe that I just ended my last day at my graduate assistant job. I also find it hard to believe how different the ending is as compared to what I imagined at the start of the academic year. I thought for sure that I'd be gritting my teeth until the very end but that hasn't been the case. I'm not quite sure at what point things began to change although I can definitely put my finger on when I started seeing a therapist to specifically address workplace difficulties. Once I did, I was gently encouraged or even challenged to reconsider my thoughts, which in turn affected my feelings. Once I began to release some of the thoughts and feelings I had, my actions and attitudes were less defensive. This doesn't mean the people I was working for were any less mean or hurtful but when I began to recognize that much of what they said to me was not personal, I actually did feel better. At the same time I can't help but be reminded how very subordinate I am ...

It's hard to know where to start when it comes to Baltimore, Ferguson, etc. etc. All I can muster is sadness, not even anger. I'm truly wondering how much it will take for a real change in policing and those who are supposed to "serve and protect." Now, it is not an unknown fact that communities of color have not experienced such service or protection for generations as racism continues to infect institutions and individuals. There has been minimal progress in diversifying the police force across the US, which crops up in the news now and again when there is a discrimination lawsuit of some sort. I liken this to lynching in the US in that it took nearly ninety years and nearly 4,000 African-American victims before laws were changed in the US. It's disheartening to think it may take just as long before institutional change is made. And even when it does change we continue to struggle with the realities of racism that affect all of our lives and to the detriment ...

One of my favorite shows is The Mindy Project . I "discovered" the show a few months ago so it took me a couple of weeks to catch up on three seasons but it was definitely worth it! Now, there is one doctor, Jessica, that particularly intrigued me because she is a recovering hoarder. I googled to see if there was any commentary about this character played by Julia Stiles but surprisingly there wasn't anything to be found. So, I'll add my two cents... Hoarding is a serious disorder that continues to be misunderstood by the general public. These days people who have hoarding disorder is fodder for reality shows  or a show like The Mindy Project. In some ways I can imagine that these shows provide a level of normalization so people may have a better understanding and hopefully more empathy. On the other hand such shows can act to mock and  misrepresent the severity of the disorder. Regarding Dr. Jessica (she doesn't seem to have a last name) in The Mindy Projec...

Ah, it's a beautiful Spring day in Providence, Rhode Island! I think we may have turned a corner in having cold and chilly weather. Even if we did, it's not snow so hooray for even gloomy days in April. So I sit here with all the windows wide open with fresh air pouring into my abode. I'm also sitting here reflecting on life in general and one thing keeps popping up from last semester so here I go... Last semester in my classes I'm learning about theories...alot of them. Now, I'm not one who leans towards anything theoretical, philosophical or theological. I'm a senser ("S") based on my MBTI which means I rely on my senses to take in information. Thus it takes me a bit longer to "get" the big picture although I definitely keep it in mind when it comes to my life choices. In one class, we were learning about CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and the premise is that if you change what you think about something, emotions and behavior shou...

Ahh, conferences. In so many ways I love going to conferences. I learn so much from workshops, I get inspired by keynote speakers and I get to visit locales that I never would have, e.g. New Orleans, Minneapolis, and so on. In fact not too long ago I returned from a conference that was in Orlando, which is a wonderful respite from the LONG winter in New England. At the same time, conferences are difficult for someone like me who is an introvert. Of course what's always interesting to me is that people insist I'm not an introvert because I am sociable and a good conversationalist. This begs the question, "What do people think introverts are or do? A rock hiding under rocks?" Anyway, as an introvert I've come to accept that my energy stores will be somewhat depleted when I get home. Yet I've learned to navigate the very extroverted spaces at conferences by connecting with other attendees one on one, walking through the resource expos on my own, staying in a ...

Last night in class we watched a videotape (yes, a videotape like in a VCR) that was to highlight how we make conclusions based on first impressions, body language, and so on. Essentially it was getting at how we can and do stereotype and how that can affect our ability to assess and treat clients. The videotape was about a show episode to guess who the real person was, i.e. there was one truth teller and two posers.  The person they were guessing was a Mr. Martinez who was a bilingual barber bookseller.  First of all I had issues with the show itself stereotyping by having all three people being Latino and "looking" Latino.  As I have already discussed being Latino (according to the US census) is a cultural marker not racial in that facial features and such do not indicate this identity.  Yet, we racialize this identity as the following proves... So, we have three Latinos who are stereotypically looking Latino (olive skin, dark hair, etc.) and we find out that t...