Pat Washington Press Conference: 3/16/06

Pat Washington was denied tenure and fired from San Diego State University in 2003 and is suing SDSU based on a racial discrimination and retaliation. Her supporters gathered for a press conference preceding oral arguments in an appeal of the dismissal of her case. Audio Duration: 27 min 20 sec.

For more information, see
http://patwashington.org

Dr. Pat Washington, then Assistant Professor, was fired from the Women's Studies Department at San Diego State University in 2003 after the university denied her bid for tenure. Dr. Washington filed a lawsuit against SDSU, charging that tenure was withheld both because of discrimination and as retaliation for her complaint about a racially hostile work environment and for her actions to protect students of color in the department from discrimination.

Dr. Washington was hired as a faculty member in 1996, as the first nonwhite member of the Women's Studies Department in its thirty year history spanning an era of historic struggles for civil rights. During the five year period before applying for tenure, she published eight peer reviewed papers, and won three teaching awards and numerous awards for community service.

Dr. Washington received a favorable ruling from the EEOC, which recommended that SDSU reinstate her as a tenured professor with back pay. Dr. Washington's struggle is being supported by numerous organizations and individuals, including the California NOW, the San Diego Branch of the NAACP, the California Black Faculty and Staff Association, the American Association of University Women, the National Women's Studies Association, the California Faculty Association, Lambda Letters Project, Equality California, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, Assemblymember Christine Kehoe, UNESCO Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Columbia University, Graciela Chichilnisky.

Despite this support, SDSU is fighting the lawsuit and, in April, 2005, conservative Superior Court Judge Jay Bloom approved SDSU's motion for summary judgment, with the excuse that a "personal grudge or resentment can constitute a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for an adverse employment decision."

Dr. Washington is challenging that ruling. The most recent milestone in her fight for justice was the start of her appellate court trial on Thursday, attended by more than 40 supporters. At a press conference before the court appearance, seven speakers put Dr. Washington's plight into the context of the larger fight for civil rights for women and minorities in the conservative, male and white dominated halls of academia. Statements included:

"Injustices that occur on an individual level are reflected in injustices that occur on a global level... We are in a global situation of tremendous inequity and tremendous injustice at which our own nation is the center."

"You should know... that [academia] is one of the most hidebound institutionally racist, sexist and gender-discriminatory places in this universe."

"This is a historic battle... The American Association of University Women found that 2/3 of our women students are being sexually harassed. The university system in the United States has become a hotbed for sexual harassment and gender discrimination throughout the entire system... The advance of the world depends on the advance of its women."

"San Diego State has two policies, one for people who they like and one for people they don't like... This is a serious problem for black faculty in the Cal State System throughout the state."

"Representing the Chicano-Latino Concilio, we are here in solidarity with Pat Washington. We live every day at UC-San Diego with the kind of institutional racism that also exists at San Diego State and all over this country... We have a dearth of black faculty on our campus, and black and chicano students, and we are struggling daily with the under-representation."

"Pay close attention to the attorney for San Diego State... You're paying a lot of money for them to practice bigotry... Pat Washington has put it on the line. She went against an institution. You are not supposed to do that... Pat Washington is a great educator."

"I couldn't be here today without Pat Washington... I came [to university] as a subservient middle aged women not knowing.. what i was capable of doing. Pat Washington mentored me and taught me about personal power and about carving out a place for myself in this world. I just thought i was going to get a bachelor's degree ... and she said hell no grrrl, you are going on... I could not use the title doctor in front of my name without this women's influence. Let's go get 'em."

A video of the press conference will be posted shortly.

Speakers:
0:00: Maggie Allington, Pat's partner
5:10 Anne Weills, Co-Council
10:10: Graciela Chichilnisky, UNESCO Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Columbia University
16:10 J Owens Smith, President of the California Black Faculty Association
18:10 Patrick Velasquez, UCSD Chicano-Latino Concilio
20:40 Al Best, First openly gay candidate for San Diego City Council
26:00 Dr. Cynthia Boyd, Former Pat Washington student and forensic psychology researcher