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Like everyone, I& #39;m frustrated. I& #39;m frustrated at everything about this situation. I& #39;m angry at the lies and the abject failure of the federal government. I& #39;m angry at the people who wrap themselves in the flag and claim immunity. I& #39;m angry at those arguing that now is a time /n
to respond to this crisis and not fight for structural change. I& #39;m stuck in my home, writing my dissertation, feeling lucky and fortunate that my family and my people are safe at this moment and that I have a job that, though it may be ending soon, continues to pay me. This is /n
exactly the time to decide that structural change is necessary. I did my graduate research at a satellite campus, with minimal access to healthcare and no access to internet based course material. For four years I argued and fought with my department to bring courses online, /n
to give those of us at satellite campuses equal opportunity to enrich our education. That discussion was sidelined constantly. I was told there was no interest in doing so, I was told that professors would refuse, I was told that it was too much effort. /n
Yet here we are, our ENTIRE UNIVERSITY is now online, four years later, as I& #39;m finishing my PhD. What comes next? This is a tiny structural barrier relevant to my life in a world of structural barriers. Higher ed is lying to you, and it always has been. Graduate students /n
are economic engines, and it& #39;s worth demanding more for our contribution. It& #39;s worth demanding more from the entire educational infrastructure, as it& #39;s clear that when it needs to bend, it does. Our worth is not driven by our work, it is driven by who we are and what we& #39;re
willing to fight for. This is a fight that& #39;s worth having. It& #39;s a barrier that& #39;s worth bending, breaking, and discarding. It& #39;s replaceable, just like they tell us we& #39;re replaceable. For weeks I& #39;ve been angry about this, the laziness of the
institution frank and apparent. But today I& #39;m choosing to be a little bit hopeful. I have hope because the bones of our barriers are brittle and cracked. I have hope because there are dozens upon dozens of graduate students fighting for real, necessary change. I have hope /n
because we are the ones that will inherit this institution and we have the fight that our predecessors don& #39;t. We know what needs to be done, we are real, we exist, and we& #39;re not stopping. Shout out to one of the most inspiring and fierce graduate students I know, @Mariam_b_Taleb
I& #39;m inspired daily by her fight, her care, and her capacity for compassion. This is a person who stood up in the midst of a worsening crisis and organized an unprecedented response to this crisis for our community. When institutional actors failed to act, she did. Tirelessly,
day and night. Heroes don& #39;t always wear capes, sometimes they just deliver comic books making materials to kids who are stuck inside. Don& #39;t forget the heroes in your life, don& #39;t loose your inspiration in such a time of darkness. They are all around us, emerging from the ghosts
of institutions that we are supposed to believe in. It feels new and refreshing, and the hope I feel is grounded here, in the unprecedented path we tread together, and I am inspired.
