Racial Microaggressions

Microaggressions are offensive verbal or nonverbal actions, behaviours and attitudes that intentionally or unintentionally target the identity or self-esteem of those against whom they are directed.

The term microaggressions was first coined by psychiatrist and Harvard University professor Chester Pierce in 1970. He conceptualized and described them as: …the most grievous of offensive mechanisms spewed at victims of racism and sexism are microaggressions. These are subtle, innocuous, preconscious, or unconscious degradations, and putdowns, often kinetic but capable of being verbal and/or kinetic. In and of itself a microaggression may seem harmless, but the cumulative burden of a lifetime of microaggression can theoretically contribute to diminished mortality, augmented morbidity, and flattened confidence. (Pierce 1995, p. 281)

Sue et al. (2007, p. 271) defines them as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color.” They may include insensitive statements, questions or assumptions about different aspects of someone’s identity such as race, nationality, gender, sexuality, parental status, disability, socioeconomic background, mental health or any other aspect (Washington, 2022).

While microaggressions are generally targeted at people or equity deserving groups from marginalized backgrounds, racial microaggressions are specifically targeted at people of colour or members of racialized groups. Despite the subtlety of their nature, these aggressions cause pernicious harm by denigrating, diminishing or even traumatizing those who experience them both momentarily and overtime. Anyone could be a perpetrator or source of microaggression irrespective of their background, status, position or level of education. However, perpetrators do not always carry out these aggressions on purpose or consciously.

According to Sue et al. (2007, p. 272), “the invisible nature of acts of aversive racism prevents perpetrators from realizing and confronting (a) their own complicity in creating psychological dilemmas for minorities and (b) their role in creating disparities in employment, health care, and education.” At the same time, victims or targets of microaggressions may be unaware, unprepared, and sometimes powerless or ill-equipped to respond to subtle micro attacks appropriately. When this happens, it further exacerbates the impact of the aggression or violence experienced by them.

The body of literature on microaggressions suggests that they may also perpetrated between and within racial and ethnic minority groups; the need for further studies to understand the nature and consequences of these and other forms of microaggression has been underscored by several scholars (Wong et al, 2014).

Forms of microaggression

Previous research found that racial microaggressions manifest in three distinct forms as explained below (Sue et al., 2007, p. 274):

1. A microassault is an explicit racial derogation characterized primarily by a verbal or nonverbal attack meant to hurt the intended victim through name-calling, avoidant behavior, or purposeful discriminatory actions.

   These types of microaggressions are more consciously and rarely expressed, and their occurrence is mostly limited to private situations where the aggressor or perpetrator feels they can get away with it.

2. A microinsult is characterized by communications that convey rudeness and insensitivity and demean a person’s racial heritage or identity. Microinsults represent subtle snubs, frequently unknown to the perpetrator, but clearly convey a hidden insulting message to the recipient of color. They can also occur nonverbally, as when a White teacher fails to acknowledge students of color in the classroom or when a White supervisor seems distracted during a conversation with a Black employee by avoiding eye contact or turning away (Hinton, 2004).

3. Microinvalidations are characterized by communications that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color.

   When Asian Americans (born and raised in the United States) are complimented for speaking good English or are repeatedly asked where they were born, the effect is to negate their U.S. American heritage and to convey that they are perpetual foreigners.

   When Black people are told that “I don’t see color” or “We are all human beings,” the effect is to negate their experiences as racial/cultural beings (Helms, 1992).

Within post-secondary contexts, these aggressions may be perpetrated both inside and outside the classroom during interactions among students, instructional team members, and between instructors/staff and students. Microaggressions which dismiss or trivialize the experiences or realities of historically disadvantaged people such as Indigenous, Black or Asian students and instructors could happen during classroom and academic advising activities or other interactional encounters and experiences. They also reflect the historical and contemporary prevalence of structural and systemic racism and (neo) colonialism still at work in our environments. Understanding microaggressions, their impacts and how best to address or respond to them is an integral part of anti-racist pedagogy.

One key to addressing racial microaggressions effectively is the understanding that they thrive through attributional ambiguity (where there is a lack of clarity about the real intent of the perpetrator) around what is really said or meant (Wood, n.d.). Anti-racist educators are committed to recognizing, naming and addressing all forms of microaggressions, wherever they manifest. They are also adept at educating and supporting their students, and colleagues, to deal with them. This tool presents information, techniques and resources that will help prepare and equip members of instructional teams to respond to different types of microaggressions that occur in both curricular and extracurricular settings.

Goal

Faculty will develop a better understanding of microaggressions and best practices for addressing, preventing or responding to them.

Tips on how to respond

As an educator who supports anti-racist and inclusive education, it is your responsibility to constantly self-reflect and invest in educating yourself to be more adequately prepared when responding to instances of microaggressions in different contexts. It takes a discerning educator to recognize or decipher and combat subtle manifestations of aggression.

While there are a plethora of documented techniques and approaches (see the instructor resources section), the following basic steps or response techniques can be applied when addressing microaggressions.

Response techniques

1. R.A.V.E.N. Approach

   Another template or approach that can be used to deal with microaggressions is called the Raven Approach. In this 5-step approach that can be used in the classroom and other contexts, the following apply (Harris III & Wood, 2020):

   1. Redirecting the conversation or interaction
   2. Asking probing questions
   3. Values clarification
   4. Emphasizing your own thoughts and feelings
   5. Offering concrete next steps

   For more details about this approach, please follow this link: How to Respond to Racial Microaggressions When They Occur by Harris III, F. & Wood, J.L. (2020)

2. Stop Race-Based Hate Response Outline

   If you find yourself in a situation where someone in your presence commits a microaggression, the following steps could be instrumental in addressing it (Stop Race Based Hate, 2023):

   1. Recognize it. Recognize that it has occurred and decipher what it meant.
   2. Name it. Articulate that what has been said is racist and/or wrong, that you’re not comfortable or agree with what was said. This makes it clear that you’re not going to let this slide.
   3. Personalize it. Express how the statement has made you feel. Personalize the impact as it relates to the person who said it.
   4. Explain why it is racist. Explain why the statement is racist. Use an example.
   5. Pull from your own experience or previous anti-racist education. Reference and adapt scenarios and responses available in this tool or find other existing resources to support your response. Today, there is no shortage of anti-racist resources to help you.
   6. Describe impact. Explain how hurtful and/or dangerous statements like these can be.
   7. Acknowledge your anti-racist allyship. Share how and why you are working towards being an anti-racist ally. Invite the person to learn more and do the same.
   8. Reiterate own feelings about the statement. Reiterate how hearing this statement from this specific person affects you.
   9. Call-to-action. Provide a call-to-action and offer further support. Depending on the response you receive, engage in a conversation to try and learn how the person came to have their view, then reiterate and invite them to engage in anti-racist education.

   Finally, when unsure about how to respond or where you feel the case is too complicated to handle on your own, please consult the NorQuest Resources on campus to support students and staff (below) and someone from the relevant college office would be willing to assist you.

Resources

References

Stop Race-Based Hate (2023). Response outline. How to talk to your friends, family, co-workers and community: Hey, that was racist.

Sue, D.W., Capodilupo, C.M., Torino, G.C., Bucceri, J.M., Holder, A.M.B., Nadal, K.L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.

Washington, E.F. (2022, May 10). Recognizing and responding to microaggressions at work. Diversity and Inclusion. Harvard Business Review.

Wong, G., Derthick, A. O., David, E. J. R., Saw, A. & Okazaki, S. (2014). The what, the why, and the how: A Review of racial microaggressions research in psychology. Race and social problems.

Harris III, F. & Wood, J.L. (2020, May 5). How to respond to racial microaggressions when they occur. Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Pierce C. M. (1995). Stress analogs of racism and sexism: Terrorism, torture, and disaster. In Willie C, Rieker P, Kramer B, Brown B, editors. Mental health, racism and sexism. University of Pittsburg Press, 277–293.

Authors

Written by: Benjamin Denga (Anti-Racism Advisor, Reimagine Higher Education)

Reviewed and edited by: Rebecca Bock-Freeman (Manager, Academic Strategy)