My brother was performing quite well at medical school; he even assisted many students who were experiencing difficulty. However, to complete his program requires him to successful complete the National Board Exam which takes about 12 hours. When he sat the National Board Exam, he was informed that he passed the exam. About 2 weeks later he received another call this time notifying him that he did not succeed.
It is highly unacceptable for a university to release results stating that someone was successful and subsequently call again this time informing the person that he did not succeed. It means that they had engaged in institutional and interpersonal racism. My brother noted that some students from the dominant culture, who succeeded struggled throughout the program, even sought his assistance at times yet he was being told that he did not succeed.
I was spell-bound when I got the news. My brother is a conscientious worker. He has applied himself extremely well throughout his schooling and never failed any exam so it was really shocking to receive such devastating news. More so the manner in which the result was conveyed.
In order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity, I believe that people of color who will advocate for social justice must form part of all the committees at those institutions to ensure that fairness exists. Persons of the dominant culture who sit on the various committees at the institution need to understand their own biases and deal with them, before they can honestly relate to people of color. Margles and Margles (2010) noted that “no one, no matter how intelligent and skillful at critical thinking, is protected against the subliminal suggestions that imprint themselves on our unconscious brain.” This implies that institution should seek to empower all citizens equitably. Persons should not be given an unfair advantage over others on the basis of racism or any other “ism.” Discrimination can alter a person’s destiny if measures are not taken to avert the likely results.
Reference
Margles, S., & Margles, R. M. (2010). Inverting racism's distortions. Our Schools/Our Selves, 19(3), 137–149. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database: http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=51372248&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Hello Evlyn,
ReplyDeleteI was surprise to read that your brother did not get the recognition or credit he earned after passing the medical board exam because of racism! I hope he appealed or protested against the medical board because this is the worst type of prejudice anyone could recieve living in today's society.
Evlyn,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your brother's experience and unfairness in treatment. Most of us at one time or another have had to work harder then others to prove our abilities just because of our identities even though we may be better at something than those who are easily given advantages over us. I sometimes feel that it makes us stronger for having to work harder.
Evlyn,
ReplyDeleteIt is so unfortunate that your brother had to experience this. Discrimination occurs in everyworks of life however we have the opportunity to make a difference by educating others. In the video Dr. Eugene Garcia spoke about being cognizant in making a difference; this is one difference we could make; teaching others about the influences of the 'isms". . If the role of education truly is to produce a better society, then as teachers we must accept the onus of responsibility for this huge undertaking.
I hope your brother would have the opportunity to prove others wrongly!
Thanks for sharing!
Evlyn,
ReplyDeleteOh! my goodness, how horrible is this situation. I am so very sorry that your brother has to go through such a rude experience. It really sadden me to think that discrimination at worst is still occuring in the society. As educators we try our best to educate the children regarding diversity and tolerance but who is teaching adults about thier hateful attitudes and discriminations?
Thank you for sharing!
Wow, I was also shocked to hear that your brother was treated unfairly due to his race. I am disappointed that our diverse nation and specifically a university would show discrimination like this. I wish your brother all the best on his professional journey. I also hope that he does not experience any additional situations of racism.
ReplyDelete