allies
sciencewoman | March 1, 2009 Liberal Arts Lady has ably hosted another fantastic edition of Scientiae. Head over there for some fantastic stories of role models and mentors, as well as some reminders that we have a ways to go before all aspiring scientists can find someone who looks like them.
I also wanted to draw your attention to an excellent post by Zuska. She says that "It's Difficult To Talk About Diversity When You Feel Ignorant And Are Afraid To Give Offense" but that it's really important to be an ally in practice and not just in (silent) principle.
thusspakezuska | February 20, 2009I love Ursula K. le Guin's the Earthsea series, and recently finished reading the final novel, The Other Wind. Those who are familiar with the Earthsea books will know that among other topics, le Guin explores traditional gender roles, their change, and men's disparagement of women's power. Towards the end of The Other Wind, one of the characters, Tenar, observes
How men feared women! she thought, walking among the late-flowering roses. Not as individuals, but women when they talked together, worked together, spoke up for one another - then men saw plots, cabals, constraints, traps being…