When I "wrote on" to law review at UVA, this white dude classmate of mine who "graded on" said to me “it’s a good thing they had that added diversity essay.” See, you could write an extra essay on why you would add diversity to the law review membership. I specifically didn’t write the extra essay. He assumed I did. For those who don’t know, Law Review members are chosen 2 ways: if you’re at the top of your class you get chosen—you "grade on." Or you can try to “write on” to various journals including law review. That’s when you get a weekend to write an essay based on some materials that they give you. Our materials were on Bakke and affirmative action coincidentally. I was shooting for whatever the gender & policy journal was called. I got chosen for law review much to my surprise. And then to have this white dude immediately assume I could only have been chosen due to diversity when I didn’t write a diversity essay? It was 25 years ago and I will never forget it. Ugly business.
When I "wrote on" to law review at UVA, this white dude classmate of mine who "graded on" said to me “it’s a good thing they had that added diversity essay.” See, you could write an extra essay on why you would add diversity to the law review membership. I specifically didn’t write the extra essay. He assumed I did. For those who don’t know, Law Review members are chosen 2 ways: if you’re at the top of your class you get chosen—you "grade on." Or you can try to “write on” to various journals including law review. That’s when you get a weekend to write an essay based on some materials that they give you. Our materials were on Bakke and affirmative action coincidentally. I was shooting for whatever the gender & policy journal was called. I got chosen for law review much to my surprise. And then to have this white dude immediately assume I could only have been chosen due to diversity when I didn’t write a diversity essay? It was 25 years ago and I will never forget it. Ugly business.
@AngryBlackLady It's also heartbreaking how it's exported into the world. I'm an English professor in S. Korea and a student wrote in an essay that on the first day he thought I was a rapper, but I turned out to be kind. I'm a 54-year-old writer and educator and all he could see was rapper.
@Harlow_Ophelia @AngryBlackLady And rappers are not kind?