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Like everyone, I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated at everything about this situation. I'm angry at the lies and the abject failure of the federal government. I'm angry at the people who wrap themselves in the flag and claim immunity. I'm angry at those arguing that now is a time /n
to respond to this crisis and not fight for structural change. I'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'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's worth demanding more for our contribution. It's worth demanding more from the entire educational infrastructure, as it'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're
willing to fight for. This is a fight that's worth having. It's a barrier that's worth bending, breaking, and discarding. It's replaceable, just like they tell us we're replaceable. For weeks I've been angry about this, the laziness of the
institution frank and apparent. But today I'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't. We know what needs to be done, we are real, we exist, and we're not stopping. Shout out to one of the most inspiring and fierce graduate students I know, @Mariam_b_Taleb
I'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't always wear capes, sometimes they just deliver comic books making materials to kids who are stuck inside. Don't forget the heroes in your life, don'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.
