Catch-22 of Responding to Microaggressions (Nadal, 2018)

• Difficulty in addressing microaggressions, especially given the consequences. For example, someone experiencing a microaggression may not want to address the perpetrator given the energy or time involved or if they believe the perpetrator may be defensive or unreceptive. (case example of “Felicia’s” employee)

Microaggressionsas a Constant Stressor

Microaggressions and Racial Battle Fatigue

• Racial Battle Fatigue is a term coined in 2008 by Critical Race theorist William A. Smith at the University of Utah

• Smith originally used it to reference the experiences of African American men in the US but is has been expanded to describe the negative and racially charged experiences of people of color in the US

Definition of Racial Battle Fatigue (Smith, 2018)

• RBF is the cumulative result of a natural race-related stress response to distressing mental and emotional conditions. Conditions that emerged from constantly facing racially dismissive, demeaning, insensitive and/or hostile racial environments and individuals.

• People of color experience daily battles of attempting to deflect racism, stereotypes and discrimination in predominantly white spaces and must always be on guard of weary of the next attack they must face.

Symptoms of RBF (Morgan Taylor Goodwin, 2018)

• Suppressed immunity and increased sickness, tension headaches, trembling and jumpiness, chronic pain in healed injuries, elevated blood pressure, and a pounding heartbeat.

• When people of color with RBF anticipate racially charged conflicts, they may experience rapid breathing, an upset stomach or frequent diarrhea/urination.

• Constant anxiety, ulcers,increased swearing or complaining,insomnia or stress/anxiety dreams, rapid mood swings, difficulty thinking or speaking coherently, and emotional and social withdrawal in response to racial microaggressions.

Coping as a MicroagressionRecipient (Clay, Jan. 2017, APA)

• Speaking up about microagressions can be stressful. Consider whether or not you are burning a bridge or not. You might not want to keep a relationship with the aggressor.

• Criticize the microagression and not the aggressor

• Practice with friends before confronting the aggressor

• Maintain a positive sense of belonging to your group

Being an ally to those who are targeted by microaggressions (Clay, Jan. 2017, APA)

• Speak up against microaggressions when you witness them

• If you are a witness, speak for yourself and not on the behalf of someone being targeted since it dehumanizes them. Instead, let the aggressor know why you felt upset by the microaggession you witnessed.

When you commit a microaggression(Clay, Jan. 2017, APA)

• Even people who are members of marginalized groups themselves can hurt members of other marginalized groups. (Sue)

• Even people can hurt members of their own marginalized group.

• When realizing you have committed a microaggression, remember that it doesn’t make you a bad person and that microaggressions are results of the dominant world views of the society we live in.

• Try not to be defensive.

• Acknowledge the other person’s hurt, apologize and reflect.

Diversity of Latinx People in the US

Our Clinical Work

Latinx, Latin American, Hispanic (Hurley, 2018)

• Latinx: US resident who has Latin American heritage. Latinx is used instead of Latino, Latina and Latin@ to include people who do note identify within the binary gender system.

• Latin American: Someone living anywhere in Latin America (includes Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean nations)

• Hispanic: a person from Spanish-speaking areas of Latin America and Spain

• Latinidad: “A shared sense of Latino identity.” (Negron)

Some Facts (2017, Pew ReseachCenter)

• In 2016 Latinx people accounted for 18% of the United States population

• The Latinx population in the US reached nearly 58 million in 2016

• Since 2000, the Latinx population itself has evolved with changes in immigration, education and other characteristics

• US Latinx population is drawn from an increasingly diverse mix of countries. Those of Mexican origin account for 63.3 % (36 million) of the US Latinx population in 2015. The 2nd largest group is of Puerto Rican origin (5.4 million in 2015)

Latinx diversity (CNN 3-6-2019)

• The Office of Management and Budget describes Hispanic or Latino ethnicity as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.• Latinx people are the largest minority in the US• An estimated 41 million US residents (13.4% of the

population) speaks Spanish at home• An estimated 22.5 million Spanish speakers also

speak English “very well”, 6.8 million speak English “well”

How the US Latinx Population Describes Their Race (CNN 3-6-2019)

• White alone 38,222,255• Some other race alone 15,719,042• Two or more races 2,782,900• Black alone 1,263,898• American Indian and Alaska Native alone

581,116• Asian alone 215,482• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Ilander

alone 61,441

Our Work with Latinx Clients

Microaggressions and Clinical Encounters

Helping our clients

• Microagressions have an adverse impact on our clients’ psychological and physiological well-being. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to help out clients cope with and talk about microaggressions.

Microaggression examples and Latinx people (Mazzula, 2013)

• “You speak so well…You are not like them…You are really smart…You are really different and they will like you.” (you are not like the norm)

• You wonder if they were giving you a compliment or that people from my culture are less than.

• If someone repeatedly asks where you are from, you wonder if they are just really curious or if they don’t think you belong, are not American.

• When bringing up these concerns, you are often told that you are overreacting, thinking too much about a simple statement or bringing up the “race card.”

Mazzula and Nadal research (2013)• Research revealed that when people experience

microaggressions, they tend towards resultant depression and a negative world outlook.

• Latina women experienced more microaggressions at wok and at school than Latino men did

• Latinxs of Dominican descant experienced being exoticized and treated as a sexual objects more than other Latinxs

• Puerto Ricans experience being treated as second-class citizens or as criminals, more than other Latinxsdo

• Young Latinxs and those with lower education , experienced more invalidation than older and more educated Latinxs

• Latinxs born outside the US were more likely to be treated as inferior

Microagressions Within Latinx Families ( Nadal et al, 2013)

• Microaggression literature often fails to recognize the experience of multiracial people

• Multiracial people possess a spectrum of phenotypic appearances (ie – varied skin colors, facial features, hair textures) which may result in an array of preceptions, experiences, or stereotypes by others.

• Multiracial people my be recipients of microaggressions based on their perceived racial heritage, their actual heritage or both.

• Johnston and Nadal (2010) proposed a theoretical taxonomy of multiracial microaggressions

5 major microaggression categories of that multiracial people experience (Johnston and Nadal, 2010)• 1. Exclusion or isolation: microaggressions that occur with a

multiracial or multiethnic person is made to feel excluded or isolated based on their mixed race

• 2. Exoticization and objectification: microaggressions that occur when a multiracial or multiethnic person is made to feel dehumanized or like an object

• 3. Assumption of monoracial or mistaken identity: microaggressions occur when a multiracial or multiethnic person is assumed or mistaken to be monoracial or a different racial group

• 4. Denial of multiracial reality: microaggressions that occur when a multiracial or multiethnic person’s experiences are invalidated by monoracial people

• 5. Pathologizing of identity and experiences: microaggressionsthat occur when a multiracial or multiethnic person’s identity or experiences are viewed as psychologically abnormal

Exclusion or Isolation Microaggressions (Nadal et al 2011)

• Comments that a multiracial person is “not really” Black or Asian

• Being forced to choose one race over another or others

Microaggressions in therapy (Owen et al, 2011)• “In therapy, microaggressions can take several

forms, including clients’ perceiving their therapists as idealizing their cultural group, making culturally insensitive treatment interventions, or neglecting cultural issues.

Examples of Microaggressions by Therapists

• “You speak good English. Where are you from?” (to a non-white client with no accent)

• “As a gay person, I know just what it’s like to be discriminated against.”

• “I’m sure you can cope with this problem as a strong Black woman.”

• “It might be okay for some people to cope by drinking because of their cultural norms.”

• Let’s hope you weren’t treated that way due to racism. What are some other possible explanations?”

• “I don’t usually do this, but I can waive your fee if you can’t afford to pay for counseling.”

Exoticization and Objectification Microaggressions (Nadal et al, 2011)

• “What are you?”• “What mix are you?”• Instances where individuals wanted to date

them because of their “exotic” looks. • Participants felt like their race was on display.

Assumption of Monoracial or Mistaken Identity Microaggressions (Nadal et al, 2011)

• People would often speak to them in different languages (particularly ones not related to their heritage)

• A monoracial person would make racist or stereotypical jokes not knowing that the jokes,, not knowing that they were multiracial and identified with the targeted race or heritage

•

Denial of Multiracial Reality Microaggressions (Nadal et al, 2011)

• Being told to “get over it” and to not think of race too much

Pathologizing of Identity and Experiences Microaggressions (Nadal et al, 2011)

• Being often told that they are “crazy” when they describe their racial heritage or that they felt judged when they told others about how their parents met or about their family backgrounds.

An 6th domain; Microaggressionsbased on Stereotypes (Nadal et al, 2011)

• Microaggressions that both monoracial people of color and multiracial people of color experience based on people’s predjudices and biases toward specific racial groups.

Multiracial People (Nadal et al, 2013)

• Their families’ avoidance or negation of race was unrealistic and harmful because “race was an everpresent issue.”• Often feel isolated in their communities, peers

and within their families. Leading to feeling lonely and disapproved of. Impacting upon self esteem.

Microagressions by Therapists

• Clinicians of any cultural or ethnic group can say these things. Even with clinicians who identify as Latinx.

• It’s important to note that White therapists are in a position wherein they do not have to think like “other” groups to navigate educational and health systems.

• It is difficult for therapists who want to help their clients and want to be fair and unbiased to think it is possible for them to make microaggressions. Because of this, it is difficult for therapists to realize when they do make these mistakes with clients.

• Being defensive leads clinicians to repeat microaggressions in the future. We can be better prepared by understanding the subtle biases we might unconsciously have and how we can address this without being defensive.

• Therefore, clinicians can learn as much as they can about how all people are capable of microaggressions

(Clay, Jan. 2017, APA)

How Might We Help Address Problems of Microaggressions Within Our Organizations?

In the author’s/presenter’s humble opinion: 1. Advocate for conversations between staff, administrators and others where we work versus repetitive monologues that leave participants feeling shut down. 2. Confront our own microaggressions and racism in order to have healthier interactions and to heal within. • And…