Organization, Minorities and Philosophy, is coming to campus
With Wofford students continuing their fight against systemic racism and marginalization of minorities, the philosophy department wanted to find a way to support their efforts through bringing the international organization Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) to campus.
The group is being organized by Katherine Valde, assistant professor of philosophy. Valde says the Philosophy Department “felt strongly in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and the protests that followed [and] that we wanted to ensure we were a part of bringing positive change to our campus and our own academic community.”
MAP is a global organization with 155 charters throughout the US, Canada, the UK, continental Europe, South Africa and Australia. More locally,
MAP has charters at both Clemson University and the University of South Carolina Columbia.
Valde hopes that this group will provide a community where people of color, LGBTQ+, women and other mar- ginalized peoples will feel welcomed and can share their ideas. Members of these groups and allies are encouraged to join the up-and-coming club.
The group will serve as an avenue for Wofford students to promote social change while also creating community among peers.
According to MAP’s website, its “mission is to address structural injustices in academic philosophy and to remove barriers that impede participation in academic philosophy for members of marginalized groups.”
Valde says that while she is organizing MAP on campus, “the exact activities of the organization will depend on the desires of the students who decide to participate.”
Activities can include anything from bringing in speakers to talk about the work being done to combat racism in philosophy, to discussing reality TV Shows like “The Bachelor” and “Love Island” through a feminist persepctive.
Valde’s hope is that “MAP will create a space where students can read texts, or watch films, or bring in speakers, or just have discussions about the challenges of racism, sexism, ableism etc. in ways that empower and change them.”
“Most importantly, I hope this group accomplishes what the students who participate in it want. While I’m playing a role in getting this group started, this group is really about what will be meaningful to the students,”saidValde.
Valde herself was a member of MAP and says that it taught her a lot about the history of sexism and racism in philosophy as well as implicit bias, and she hopes that it will do the same for Wofford students .
Valde welcomes anyone who is interested in joining MAP or has questions about the organization to contact her at [email protected].
