I’ve seen and heard a lot of stories from white female professors in academia upset about being confused for students when they are walking through their building or into their own classroom where they will be teaching. While I can understand that this must be demeaning,.. 1/7

my instinctual response has always been, “well, at least you aren’t confused for the maintenance worker or janitor as I, and many of my BIPOC peers in academia, have been.” I’ve seen the people who point this out on social media and the backlash from white folks 2/7

who say, ‘this isn’t a competition for who has it the worst,’ and rather than dismiss this comment (which I would love to do, because to me it’s the equivalent of saying ‘I don’t see color’), I’d like to deconstruct it for a minute by addressing the associated assumptions 3/7

with these interactions and how the message is different for white vs BIPOC folks. One interaction assumes you are SUPPOSED to be in that space in the capacity of maintaining the educational structure (i.e. you are white, you must be a professor or student, you belong here).4/7

The other assumes you are ONLY supposed to be there for maintenance of the building in which that educational structure exists, or worse, goes further to assume you are in the process of breaking a rule (i.e. a BIPOC student sitting in a shared space designed for students 5/7

and faculty or taking food from a shared lounge space for graduates and faculty). These interactions further push the narrative that people of color do not belong in academia. It further reinforces to BIPOC students, post-docs, and professors that they are not welcome 6/7

in Academia aside from supporting a clean and physically safe environment for their white peers to learn and prosper. I would encourage everyone in academia, but particularly white folks, to evaluate your own assumptions and how you ACTIVELY facilitate an environment for all. 7/7