Why do you teach Women's and Gender Studies?

The WOC PhD blog has suggested a blog meme for persons of color who teach Women's and Gender Studies: http://profbw.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/

If you are a person of color who teaches Women, Gender, or Women and Gender Studies please write a blog post about why you teach in that inter/discipline. Please also address how or why you stick with it when issues of racism, homophobia or heterosexism, classism, or other issues arise. You can give as many reasons as you want and be as elaborate or succinct as you want. Tag at least 5 people and make sure that they know they have been tagged so we reach as many people as possible. You may participate even if you are just considering teaching in the interdiscipline or if your classes are cross-listed. (White allies, you are welcome to participate too, as long as you center the issue of how you support women of color as a central question in your answer.)

Please link back here so we can read your posts. If you don’t have a blog but want to participate, put your answers in the comments section and don’t worry about length.

"In Blogspeak, a meme is an idea that is shared and passed from blog to blog, like a question posted in one blog and answered in many other blogs." (from "The Memes List")

Feel free to post or comment here, or comment on the WOC PhD blog, or on your own!