The myth of merit and excellence in promotion has been documented in many studies about gender and race in academia and other organizations, and increased hurdles are faced by racialized women. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful and perceptive essay - the beginning of a book, I hope. The fact that overt discrimination is no longer acceptable makes it more challenging to struggle against subtler microaggressions as you point out.  Glad to know that you will be contributing to your field as a scholar. I love the portrait of your father whose nurturing and wisdom met their match in his wonderful daughter, you.