In Cross Cultural Journalism last year, we learned that female minorities have two strikes against them in American society. Our life chances for success are knocked down as the 'weaker' gender, then again for being in a minority group. It's a sad understanding, but as I stated, it is an understanding. As an Asian-American woman, I cannot be bogged down by the idea of being so behind in society's eyes because that will allow me to settle with a second-best mentality (or would it be third-best if we already have two strikes?).
Moreso this semester than any other time, I have been putting myself into situations where I feel like I have had to work a little harder due to my gender, race or both. Every time I make a contact for a story in Convergence Reporting, conduct an interview, take photographs, or whatever, I have often times had to present myself in a more professional or assertive manner to ensure the source that I am one to be taken seriously. For example, I was paired with a male classmate for one of my most recent team stories and we had to meet with and interview a few contacts from Missouri county jails. I noticed that the male half of the team was receiving much more eye contact and was generally spoken to more by the sources. Even when I asked a question, the male source would glance down to think of his answer and direct his response to my partner, only glancing at me. We got all information we needed, so I wouldn't call this experience unsuccessful, but we left with mixed perceptions of the source.
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