For the past three years I have had students who were “offended” or “insulted” because I have made it a point for them to call me Dr. Garcia. There’s usually the follow up question asking why, and then the statement, “Dr. So and So, let’s me call them by their first name.” How ironic, that in the same sentence they still refer to my colleagues as “Dr.”
When your first response is not to call me “Dr.” in an academic setting, you erase not only me, but the generations before me. Let me explain.
Roll Call:
Blandina. Present.
Guadalupe. Present.
Julia. Present.
These are the names that came before me. My grandmothers and mother, a strong lineage of women of color. They worked long hours in labor intensive jobs and passed down stories through oral traditions. The one thing the women before me all have in common is they did not attend college. That was left up to me, and it was a challenge I took on whole heartily.
