Naseeb Bhangal
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Lift & Climb Reflections
Centering and Celebrating WOC in higher Education
Mission: A resource for Womxn of Color in postsecondary institutions and those committed to the success of Womxn of Color in education! This page highlights my personal stories, along with featuring broader stories of Womxn of Color (WOC) students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Lift & Climb’s mission is to center the stories of WOC in higher education, understand how WOC navigate the barriers within the ivory tower, and the ways in which WOC support, and can continue to support, each other in their collective success.
Vision: A future where spaces for Womxn of Color in higher education are prioritized, accessible, and celebrated.
© [NASEEB BHANGAL] [2017]
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LIFT & CLIMB PODCAST:
EPISODE 2, PART II: TAKING AND MAKING SPACE IN HIGHER EDUCATION The second episode of Lift & Climb continues the conversation from the first episode on "Taking and Making Space in Higher Education" with two new co-discussants: Cecilia Macias, M.Ed. and Brittany Terry. Both Cecilia, a staff member in Student Affairs, and Brittany, a Graduate Student, share with listeners how they navigate institutions of higher learning as Womxn of Color and their advice for how Womxn of Color can actively take and make space for each other and with one another. ***At the time of recording, Cecilia Macias was working at Loyola University Chicago in the Department of Student Leadership and Development. Since then, Cecilia has moved to University of Illinois Chicago's School of Public Health. Lift & Climb: Language Lift & Climb aims to use storytelling, dialogue, questioning, and contemplative listening, culturally responsive practices informed by critical race theory. In an effort to maintain a critical, intersectional approach, I have made the decision to use “womxn”. By avoiding the “-men” or “-man”suffixes in womxn, I aim to achieve independence from patriarchal, heteronormative,and cisgender linguistic norms. I specifically chose “womxn” instead of womyn due to the latter’sroots in transphobia. Womxn is meant to be an inclusive, progressive term that not only sheds light on the prejudice, discrimination, and institutional barriers womxn have faced, but to also show that womxn are not the extension of men but their own free and separate entities. We chose “womxn”with an “x” because not only is it less transphobic and less racist, but because the “x” can represent a diversity of narratives. Whether you identify as a womxn-born-womxn, trans-womxn, or a Womxn of Color, the ambiguity of the “x” stands for the many different identities, struggles, and movements womxn have been a part of and have overcome. Overall, my hope is to use “womxn” as a more inclusive term. Additionally, I value that the “x” is formed by creating two lines intersecting together, which is a visual representation of intersectionality. Let this be an invitation to listeners and co-discussants to engage in more critical dialogue around commitment to justice and inclusivityin all forms of action. CLICK TITLE BELOW TO ACCESS EPISODE 1 LIFT & CLIMB PODCAST: EPISODE 2, PART II Making and Taking Space in Higher Education LISTEN TO PODCAST TODAY ON SOUNDCLOUD Co-Discussants:
Notes and Links from Episode 1
LIFT & CLIMB PODCAST: EPISODE 1, Making and Taking Space in Higher Education I’m a student affairs practitioner working at Loyola University Chicago as a Program Coordinator for Women’s Initiatives & Community Outreach in the Department of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. A significant aspect of my work includes programming for and with Womxn of Color (WOC), including but not limited, to undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty WOC. In my work, I have been shaped immensely by the voices, experiences, and stories of WOC and the realities they navigate on college campuses, which were initially never meant for WOC. Watching these brilliant individuals thrive and prosper is immensely motivating and compelling. As someone who believes in life-long learning, I know that my own experiences as a WOC and my professional work with WOC doesn’t make me a content expert. As such, I have been inspired by my recent trip to ACPA (American College Personnel Association) and want to start a podcast which will focus on WOC in higher education. As a Queer South Asian Womxn of Color, my motives are to simply listen, learn, and provide a platform to colleagues, students, mentors, sisters, friends, and family to add to our existing knowledge on the experiences of WOC in the academy. My podcast will be free and accessible and will center the voices of WOC. This podcast by no means claims expertise on the lives of WOC, most of whom are outside of higher education, but instead maintains a sincere commitment to cultivating contemplative listening among the podcast host and listeners. Lift & Climb: Language Lift & Climb aims to use storytelling, dialogue, questioning, and contemplative listening, culturally responsive practices informed by critical race theory. In an effort to maintain a critical, intersectional approach, I have made the decision to use “womxn”. By avoiding the “-men” or “-man”suffixes in womxn, I aim to achieve independence from patriarchal, heteronormative,and cisgender linguistic norms. I specifically chose “womxn” instead of womyn due to the latter’sroots in transphobia. Womxn is meant to be an inclusive, progressive term that not only sheds light on the prejudice, discrimination, and institutional barriers womxn have faced, but to also show that womxn are not the extension of men but their own free and separate entities. We chose “womxn”with an “x” because not only is it less transphobic and less racist, but because the “x” can represent a diversity of narratives. Whether you identify as a womxn-born-womxn, trans-womxn, or a Womxn of Color, the ambiguity of the “x” stands for the many different identities, struggles, and movements womxn have been a part of and have overcome. Overall, my hope is to use “womxn” as a more inclusive term. Additionally, I value that the “x” is formed by creating two lines intersecting together, which is a visual representation of intersectionality. Let this be an invitation to listeners and co-discussants to engage in more critical dialogue around commitment to justice and inclusivityin all forms of action. CLICK TITLE BELOW TO ACCESS EPISODE 1 LIFT & CLIMB PODCAST: EPISODE 1, Making and Taking Space in Higher Education LISTEN TO PODCAST TODAY ON SOUNDCLOUD Co-Discussants:
Notes and Links from Episode 1
© [NASEEB BHANGAL] [2017] |
CreatorStudent Affairs Practitioner who is interested in capturing the stories and voices of Womxn of Color in Higher Education. Archives
September 2019
All Rights Reserved
Naseeb Bhangal reserves all rights in the podcast and specifically the content created and distributed by Lift & Climb.
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