actually...
yamani hernandez
so, i just got my own copies of the magazine. i actually don't think its so bad. i've heard from about 3 people who have described it as "bitter-sounding", "nothing-good was intended to come from it" and that it comes off as "screw the 'white male establishment'...but upon a second read...i guess i don't think so. i think its a grim statistic and thusly the article is a little grim. i mean, there are some pretty tripped out statements even in the editors statement that reads "most firms are committed to diversification even if it is to avoid a law suit." (wtf is that?!) but i don't think it was a strategic plot to make black women seem whiney and anti-establishment....i just think the article just falls short of outlining solutions. It also would have been interesting to widen this discussion beyond JUST Black women, as it does kind of seem like 'its a personal problem' and not that there are some sytemic things that are problematic period. Its kind of like the idea that racism isn't just of concern to people of color...it should be of concern to any human. But yeah, i would have like to have seen some actual statistics of how long it takes to licensure for your average person and average salaries instead of just saying my statements are 'complaints' rather than statements of reality. i mean, the fact that my law school counterpart is going to spend the same 3 years that I spent in architecture school and come out and make 3 times what I would make as an intern architect is plain wrong. by the same token...i'm not just concerned about money either...but the ability to do public+environmental good in my profession....i guess that's a concern with any profession. anyway, i talked to the managing editor who wrote the story and she said she was initially alotted a page for this...so i guess in that context it is a closer look than what was initially intended...its just that is such a deep issue that there could have been an entire magazine about it!=) it does still suck that she didn't take my direct quotes from my INTERVIEW instead of my blog which is a more informal source...my husband just got around to reading it and said the way my quotes were placed made me sound incoherent and like an asshole. i dunno...for that reason, i'll still submit my letter to the editor because i actually am not an ass and quite articulate most times.... i would be interested to know what the other women in the article thought about it though.