Tag: Dr. Nichole Margarita Garcia

African-American

No Justice, No Peace: How to Come to Terms with Your Own Anti-Blackness

Handcuffed, forcefully pinned down on the asphalt, backed by the heavy weight of a body, knee pressed up against the neck, slowly depriving him of life–George Floyd–gasped for air. Uttering what would become some of his last words, “I can’t move…mama…mama…I can’t breathe.” Floyd was murdered that day at the hands of a white police officer while three others watched. As a nation we witnessed the premature death of yet another Black man at the hands of police.

June 11, 2020

With the Fire on High: The Writing Process in COVID-19

For me to be productive as a woman of color in academia, my writing needs to be driven by a connection to what is real, lived, and urgent. COVID-19 is not normal, and I argue should not be considered the “new” norm. Academia was already difficult and combined with COVID-19 will have lasting effects on the “productivity” of women of color for years to come.

May 2, 2020

Love in the Time of the Coronavirus

The world is in a panic and chaos brews in the media and in the communities where we live. How does one make sense of and put words to this epidemic that has become known as the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

March 23, 2020

“Spirit-Murdering in Academia”

Let me be clear. There is a long history of the ideas by women of color scholars being co-opted and reproduced by others. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, citing is a political act.

February 26, 2020

Academia in 20/20 Vision

How we hold ourselves in academia contributes to our own character development as scholar-practitioners and the legacy we wish to leave. As we progress in our careers we will work with students in many capacities and hopefully cultivate their aspirations and goals so that they too develop in character.

January 27, 2020

There Are No Safe Spaces

Conferences are about reunions with colleagues and friends, presentations on the next innovative research, and new connections made to build your academic community. However, conferences are also about performing in spaces, I argue, that can feel and be unsafe. A space where trauma reignites from our past or future selves.

December 2, 2019

‘We Didn’t Cross The Border, The Border Crossed Us:’ The Importance Of Ethnic Studies

I once heard a story about a man that needed to go North from Mexico to the United States in the 1940s. At the time, Guerrero, Mexico was depleted of resources and there were no jobs for the people. It spread throughout the city that there was work in the United States through a temporary workers program. The man knew this was his chance to go North so he went to where all the laborers were gathering to leave.

July 16, 2019

Tearing at my Heart: The First Year on Tenure Track

I reached for the tissue box and it was empty. The tears trickled down my face at a faster pace than usual. I rushed to the bathroom to replenish my tissue box. I slowly slipped into an uncontrollable sob. I felt like I was an infant again overwhelmed with emotions but left without the words to explain the depth of what I was feeling. Were these tears of joy, happiness, sadness, restlessness, exhaustion or hurt?

July 1, 2019

Publish or Perish: How to Rid Yourself of Fear

Recently, my colleague Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair at the University of Northern Colorado virtually invited me to guess lecture in her graduate course regarding my op-eds. It is always an honor to share space with colleagues and students across the nation. A graduate student in her course posed a question that I have been reflecting on for the last several days. The student asked, “Do you have fear when it comes to writing these opinion pieces?” Fear and writing go hand in hand in all that we do in academia.

February 18, 2019

‘But You’re Not a Real Doctor!’

Once while traveling to a conference, I used my credit card to check-in to use my frequent flyer benefits. My salutation, Dr. Nichole M. Garcia, prompted the sales associate to ask me if I could provide medical advice for something they were experiencing. As I began to explain that I was not a medical doctor, I was met with, “But you’re not a real doctor, you’re a teacher.”

January 17, 2019

‘Please Call Me Dr.’

For the past three years I have had students who were “offended” or “insulted” because I have made it a point for them to call me Dr. Garcia.

December 20, 2018

African-American

Celebrating #NastyWomen of Color

I walked a mile from campus to a church where my local polling place to vote was, like many United States citizens did throughout the nation on November 6, 2018. However, this midterm election seemed to have a different energy as “unexpected” candidates throughout the nation emerged in response to the political conditions they found themselves in after the election of Trump. Who were these “unexpected” candidates, women of color!

November 12, 2018

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