Epistemic Injustice in Philosophy Classrooms, An Experience
My experiences as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow (MMUF) helped inform my beliefs about academia. Prior to becoming a Fellow, I didn’t even use the word “academia” nor did I have any idea that programs like MMUF existed. When I applied to the fellowship as a “continuing education” student in my mid-twenties I was certain I’d be rejected. Sure, I always loved learning and was a lifelong bibliophile but I wasn’t a great student by any means. Just a curious one. After a five year period of 60 hour work weeks and random internships I returned to college to finish my BA for the sole purpose of getting a degree. To say I’d done it. To check that milestone off of a to-do list, that I didn’t even write myself, so that I could have more job prospects. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life but I knew that I needed a degree in order to get a job that would help me afford my medical bills.
For a bit of context, I’m a working class, Black, queer, Jewish, femme, survivor living with chronic illnesses. I’m also a parent to a toddler who works an additional job everyday while enrolled in graduate school. In an ideal world none of that would matter to this story at all but we don’t live in one of those. So I figured I’d add that in because it’s relevant. So is the fact that I’ve participated in a few academic fellowship programs, like MMUF, aimed…
