Identifying and Preventing Microaggressions

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Identifying and Preventing Microaggressions
Facilitators Drs. Nancy Ares and Dena Phillips
Swanson

• Session goals
• to define microaggressions
• to discuss examples in identifying
  microaggressions
• to identify institutional practices
• to explore preventive strategies

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Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life

• Derald Wing Sue et al.
• (2007)

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Microaggressions

• Brief, everyday exchanges that convey denigrating
  messages
• often unintentional and unconsciously delivered
  in the form of subtle snubs, dismissive looks,
  gestures and tones.
• particularly salient in the context of relational
  dynamics and inherent in power dynamics which
  further complicate the impact.

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Microaggression Dilemma

• Invisibility of Unintentional Bias
• Race does not effect how you are treated or your
  opportunities for success
• The most accurate assessment of a bias statement
  is from those disempowered rather than from those
  that enjoy the privilege of position or power

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Microaggression Dilemma

• Perceived Minimal Harm
• Those not affected consider them minor and
  encourage those affected to not waste time or
  effort on addressing them
• The cumulative effects of microaggressions
  contribute to self-doubt, frustration, and
  isolation

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A Framing for Diversity

• Considerations
• Climate and intergroup relations
• Access and success
• Education
• Institutional vitality
• Context
• Local (academic program/department)
• Global (university level school level)

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Critical Race Theory, Racial Micro-aggressions,
and Campus Racial Climate The Experiences of
African American College Students

• Solórzano, Ceja, and Yosso (2000)

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Subtle, Covert

• one must not look for the gross and obvious.
  The subtle, cumulative mini-assault is the
  substance of todays racism (Pierce, 1974, p.
  516)

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Linkages

• Racial stereotypes
• Cumulative racial micro-aggressions
• Campus racial climate
• Academic performance

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Four Questions

• How do African American college students
  experience racial micro-aggressions?
• What impact do these racial micro-aggressions
  have on African American students
• How do African American students respond to
  racial micro-aggressions
• How do racial micro-aggressions affect the
  collegiate racial climate?

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Critical Race Theory

• Race and racism are endemic to US society, as is
  intersectionality of forms of subordination
• Centrality of non-dominant people and
  communities experiences
• Commitment to social justice
• Transdisciplinary perspective

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Micro-Aggressions in Classrooms

• Feeling invisible
• Experiences omitted,distorted, stereotyped
• Faculty-student interactions requiring retake of
  quiz
• I was doing really well in the classWe took a
  first quizand I got like a 95We think youve
  cheated And I got a 98 on the exam
• Self-doubt
• So you dont feel like, Well maybe it isnt me
  cause you second-guess yourselfMaybe Im
  stupid! Maybe I dont understand whats going on

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Micro-Aggressions in Classrooms

• Segregation in in-class groups
• Personally diminished by White peers
• Intense scrutiny leads to feeling drained
• Assumptions about admissions (affirmative action)
• A couple of our class discussions were
  aboutaffirmative action, and the White
  studentscould not fathom that we earned our way
  in here
• Assumptions about academic abilities
• A lot of people dont accept the fact that I
  got a scholarship for academics. All my
  scholarships are in academicsnot in sports

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Micro-Aggressions Outside Classrooms

• Academic spaces (covert)
• I was walking down the hallwayone of the
  teachers door was openShes like, Oh, I should
  have locked the door. My purse is in there. I
  was just, wow, maybe she should have kept that to
  herself
• Last time we went to the library to studyits
  liketheyve never seen Black people before in
  their lives, or theyve never seen Black people
  study before

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Micro-Aggressions Outside Classrooms

• Social spaces (overt)
• With school events, its definitely racial. They
  campus police regulate and try to shut us
  downmake us leave through certain (back) doors
• Playing football in a campus parking lotall of a
  sudden theres a total of four or five police
  cars all here for us who are not displaying any
  type of violencewe pleaded our case for at least
  a good 45 minutes..we had to leave

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Effects of Micro-Aggressions

• Defensive stance
• I have to be on my guard every time I go in to
  talk to a professoran advisorto anyoneare they
  really here to help me or to lead me down a path
  I dont want?
• Spokesperson pressure
• Youre going to get called on, just because they
  want a Black perspective and youre the only one

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Effects of Micro-Aggressions

• Tiring
• I was naïve, but now Im cynicalI had to fight
  every day through all the racism I feltwhen you
  try and voice something to somebody, they dont
  want to hear it.Im tired of it
• Pushed to the point of exit
• Got a B in physics before she cametook physics
  againshe did everythingwent to the chancellor
  who asked whether or not she was on financial
  aid..shes transferring to Howard

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Counter-Spaces as Response

• Daily barrage of micro-aggressions in and outside
  of class
• Deficit notions of people of color challenged
• Source of support
• I chose to live on the African American theme
  floorif I dont have the support then that can
  be very discouraging
• I just feel more comfortable dealing with African
  Americanslook for the first African American
  face becausetheyre going to be more sympathetic

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Challenges to

• College as equal, colorblind, race-neutral
• Ignoring, downplaying threats, assaults in the
  form of micro-aggressions
• Such incidents, experiences as innocuous
• The affect is cumulative