thesubalternspeaks

I'm starting a PhD program this fall at a smallish private university in the South. I know universities are 'bastions of liberalism' but as a woman of color who went to an East Coast "super liberal" private university for my undergraduate degree, I know that that is often restricted to words and once you're actually loud in your department about necessary changes etc things can get pretty frosty. As an undergrad, I didn't have too much insight into what happened with my professors but even I could see that while my department was all about "diversity and inclusivity," there was real resistance to actual change and there were "sides" to be taken and the environment seemed hostile to faculty of color. Again, this was just the impression I got from my observations and a few comments from professors but the fact that the department could never manage to retain faculty of color seems to suggest the same... My question is directed especially to PhD students in English departments who are people of color (but also anyone else who has insight into this)- do you think there are consequences to being too politically active and too vocal and too radical? Can that affect your reputation within the department and ultimately your career? I'm sorry if this question sounds naive but just with everything that's going on, I know how strongly I feel about things and I know tenured professors can afford to be pretty vocal but I'm wondering if as a grad student I should try not to be too public about some of my opinions. You can see some of the horror stories people are sharing on the #BlackInIvory hashtag on Twitter and I just want advice on how best to navigate this.

Hi y'all. First time poster here. Didn't think I'd ever post (was totally fine with lurking lol) but the anxiety of this application cycle is getting to me. But, serious question, is getting waitlisted a sign of at least being taken seriously? I was fully expecting only rejections from the six schools I applied to, and have received or know I'm receiving at least three rejections, but I did get waitlisted at two colleges. Since submitting my applications, I've been really doubting myself and my preparation for grad school, and I'm trying to decide if I should consider being waitlisted a sign of confidence or just a prolonged rejection.