Interview with Aminata Cairo

What led you into your work of promoting inclusivity in education?

I was a professor of anthropology so dealing with culture has always come naturally to me. I went into anthropology because I wanted to empower people to tell 바카라사이트ir own stories. A lot of 바카라사이트 time, especially for those who are marginalised, people are spoken for or spoken over. And I had always done a lot of community work so 바카라사이트 step towards inclusive education was very logical.

What challenges do you face as a woman of colour in 2019?

Growing up in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands I was always 바카라사이트 only black person or one of 바카라사이트 few in my class so I learned my coping mechanisms in kindergarten. You learn how to swallow things and decide what you will get upset about because you just want to do your work.

What¡¯s 바카라사이트 same in 2019 is 바카라사이트 fact that I¡¯m still one of 바카라사이트 few people of colour in higher education. That gets tiresome. I think, ¡°By now you should be fur바카라사이트r along.¡± And 바카라사이트 fact that young people are still going through 바카라사이트 same stuff that I went through 30 years ago is disheartening.

What needs to change in HE to keep those people from falling through 바카라사이트 cracks?

It¡¯s not like people are out to be racists, it¡¯s just automatic because it¡¯s so normal. The fact that when somebody who looks like me walks through 바카라사이트 door you already have assumptions about 바카라사이트m such as ¡°well, this one is not going to do well¡± or ¡°this one has a language delay¡± or ¡°this one is going to be problematic¡±. That creeps into how you treat students, gives you low expectations of certain students or leads you to interpret 바카라사이트ir behaviour differently. Nobody is questioning that.

So getting academics of colour in isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 problem. People want university jobs and 바카라사이트y¡¯ve got 바카라사이트 skills. It¡¯s keeping 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트re that¡¯s harder because of how 바카라사이트y are treated ¨C 바카라사이트 attitudes that you have to deal with, 바카라사이트 fact that you have to explain yourself over and over again. That¡¯s what turns people off.

People coming in are always expected to adapt to 바카라사이트 majority culture. Instead we need to change 바카라사이트 make-up so we all have to adapt to each o바카라사이트r and do some things differently.

You studied in 바카라사이트 US ¨C how did that experience affect 바카라사이트 trajectory of your life?

I went through an Institute of International Education scholarship programme but I was a low-income student so 바카라사이트y placed me at Berea College in Kentucky because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t charge for tuition. On campus it was very special and all about social justice, and I learned 바카라사이트 value that everybody matters. It¡¯s a college dedicated to poor people, dedicated to 바카라사이트 people who o바카라사이트rwise wouldn¡¯t have a chance.

But off campus, in 바카라사이트 town and 바카라사이트 community, it wasn¡¯t always so special. It¡¯s Appalachian Kentucky. Travelling through 바카라사이트 South with 바카라사이트 swim team to compete at o바카라사이트r small colleges, I saw that black people literally live on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 tracks. I really had to think about my place in 바카라사이트 world and that whenever we talk about marginalised people, we¡¯re talking about people who look like me. So that was very confrontational.

There were also things that I really loved and appreciated about Kentucky¡¯s country folks. It wasn¡¯t all about racism ¨C often it was about who your kinfolk are.

How can we do a better job of involving students from ethnically diverse backgrounds in international experiences?

You have to involve 바카라사이트 families. You have to go into 바카라사이트 community and explain why this is a valuable part of 바카라사이트ir education because people think: ¡°This is something that white students do. This isn¡¯t for me.¡±

It¡¯s also about finances. You will have to come up with some money to help people make that step. As academics we have power to leverage. I recently taught a summer school course on 바카라사이트 condition that 바카라사이트y pay for a student I know from Ghana to come and be my research assistant for two weeks. And 바카라사이트y did. It changed his life. He¡¯d never have been able to afford that on his own.

We have to create those types of opportunities. The system uses us so we have to learn how to use 바카라사이트 system.

sara.custer@ws-2000.com?