Microaggressions  Objec&ve:  To  understand  the  way  our  communica&ons  may  (uninten&onally)  marginalize  others    Plan  of  Ac&on:    •  Create  an  awareness  of  microaggressions  •  Understand  how  microaggressions  can  marginalize  others  •  Reflect  on  ways  address  microaggressions  and  foster  inclusive  communica&on  

WELCOME  Ms.  Pomilia  

Kick-­‐Off  Ques3on    l On  your  worksheet,  respond  to  the  following:  

1.  Do  you  feel  you  have  ever  been  judged  because  of  your  iden&ty,  looks,  gender,  sexuality,  ethnicity,  or  race?  Provide  an  example.  Do  you  feel  you  judge  others  on  account  of  their  iden&ty?  Why  or  why  not?  

2.  On  a  post-­‐it  note,  anonymously  write  down  a  stereotype  that  you  have  received  on  account  of  your  gender,  iden&ty,  ethnicity,  race,  etc.  Place  your  post-­‐it  in  the  basket  to  be  read  aloud  later  in  the  lesson.    

What  is  a  microaggression?  l Microaggression:  Communica&ons  that  subtly  send  hurRul  or  dismissive  messages  toward  an  individual  due  to  their  group  iden&ty,  oSen  automa&cally  and  unconsciously.    

l Microaggressionas  are  usually  commiTed  by  well-­‐inten&oned  folks  who  are  unaware  of  the  hidden  messages  being  communicated.    

Microaggressions:    

Microaggressions  are  similar  to  carbon  monoxide  -­‐  “invisible,  but  poten/ally  lethal”  -­‐  con&nuous  exposure  to  these  type  of  interac&ons  “can  be  a  sort  of  death  by  a  thousand  cuts  to  the  vic/m”  

Sue,    (2010)  Microaggressions  in  Everyday  Life:    Race,  Gender,  and  Sexual  Orienta3on.    

Our  Goal    l As  we  examine  these  microaggressions  and  make  them  visible,  our  goal  is  not  to  judge  whether  or  not  we  interpret  them  as  microaggressions,  or  ques&on  why  others  see  them  that  way.  

l Rather,  our  goal  is  to  generate  an  awareness  of  the  fact  that  our  inten&on  may  not  equal  impact.  

l Recognizing  the  way  others  may  be  affected  by  our  language  (even  if  well-­‐intended),  builds  empathy  and  is  the  first  step  in  becoming  more  aware  and  making  microaggressions  visible.    

Types  of  microagressions  

1.  MICROINSULT  

2.  MICROASSAULT  

3.  MICROINVALIDATION    

Categories  of  microaggressions  CATEGORY  +  DEFINITION:   EXAMPLES:  

Microinsult:  communica&ons  that  subtly  insensi&vity  and  demean  a  person’s  iden&ty  or  heritage,  usually  unconsciously  

•  asking  a  student  of  color  which  scholarship  they  received  for  admiTance  to  college    

•  joking  that  you  cannot  give  female  construc&ve  feedback  or  she’ll  cry    

•  “helping”  a  wheelchair  user  without  asking  if  they  need  assistance  

•  trying  to  finish  a  sentence  for  a  student  with  a  stuTer  

 

Categories  of  microaggressions  CATEGORY  +  DEFINITION:   EXAMPLES:  

Microassault:  biased  communica&ons  that  consciously  and  inten&onally  discriminate  one’s  iden&ty  

•  Denying  a  child  from  da&ng  someone  of  the  same  sex  

•  Whistling  at  a  female  •  Using  racial  slurs  •  Denying  accommoda&ons  for  

transgender  students  

Categories  of  microaggressions  CATEGORY  +  DEFINITION:   EXAMPLES:  

Microinvalida&on:  Communica&ons  that  subtly  exclude  or  negate  the  feelings  or  experien&al  reality  of  a  person’s  iden&ty  

•  Color-­‐blindness  •  Repeatedly  asking  someone  

where  they  were  born  •  Being  complimented  for  

speaking  good  English  •  Pictures  that  represent  

organiza&ons  as  homogeneous  

Microaggressions  in  Everyday  Life  hOp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJL2P0JsAS4    

 

Group  Ac3vity    l  In  a  group  of  4,  you  are  going  to  examine  real  life  scenarios  of  microaggressions  and  the  messages/impact  behind  them.    

l First,  let’s  look  at  a  few  examples  of  microaggressions  and  their  messages  together.  

Examples  of  microaggressions  and  the  messages  they  send  “Where  are  you  from?”  “What  are  you?”  

You  are  not  American.  You  are  foreign.  (You  don’t  belong.)  

Asking  an  Asian  person  to  help  with  math  or  science.  

All  Asians  are  good  in  math  and  science.  

When  I  look  at  you,  I  don’t  see  color.  I  am  color-­‐blind.    

Denying  a  person  of  their  racial/ethnic  experiences.  

I  can  make  fun  of  _______  because  I’m  Asian/Black/La&no/etc.  

I  am  immune  to  racism  because  I  am  of  that  group.  

Stereotypes  as  Microaggressions    l Many  stereotypes  we  receive  are  or  perpetuate  microaggressions.    

l  I  am  going  to  read  aloud  the  stereotypes  you  wrote  on  your  post-­‐it  notes.    

l As  I  read,  consider  to  yourself  if  these  are  microaggressions,  and  if  so,  what  message  they  send.  

Self  –  Reflec3on    l  Look  back  at  the  response  you  wrote  for  the  kick-­‐off  ques&on.  

l  Was  any  part  of  your  explana&on  in  fact  a  microaggression?  For  example:  l  I  am  color-­‐blind  l  I  am  Asian  l  I  am  a  woman  so  I  understand  oppression  l  I  am  LGBTQ  l  We  are  all  human  beings    l  While  your  inten&on  was  good,  consider  how  you  can  change  your  response  to  overcome  microaggressions.  

 

Group  Work  (use  your  worksheets)  l In  groups  of  4,  you  have  been  given  three  real-­‐life  scenarios.  Together,  work  to:  1.  Iden&fy  the  microaggression    2.  Consider  the  message  that  is  being  sent  3.  Explore  ways  the  microaggression  can  be  overcome  

through  inclusive  communica&on.  (Consider:  How  can  we  communicate  in  a  way  that  celebrates  inclusion  and  one’s  iden&ty  rather  than  exclusion  or  discrimina&on  against  one’s  iden&ty.)  

   

 

Buzzfeed:  21  Microaggressions  you  hear  on  a  daily  basis  

Your  Turn  l  If  you  feel  comfortable,  use  one  of  the  white  boards  to  write  down  a  microaggression  that  you  have  received  (on  the  top  half  of  your  board).  

l  If  you  do  not  want  to  share  one  a  personal  microaggression,  consider  one  that  you  have  heard.  

l We  will  then  share  silently  by  standing  in  a  circle  and  holding  up  our  boards.    

Overcome  the  microaggression  l Consider  the  inten&on  behind  the  microaggression  you  wrote  on  your  board.  

l How  can  this  be  communicated  differently  in  order  to  overcome  the  microaggression?  

l On  the  other  side  of  your  microaggression,  rewrite  it  with  an  inclusive  way  to  communicate  the  original  inten&on.  

What  can  you  do?  l  Take  responsibility  l  Understand  that  intent  doesn’t  equal  impact  l  Manage  feelings  of  defensiveness/be  open  to  hearing  difficult  feedback  l  Reflect  on  what  you  heard  /  the  messages  sent  l  Don’t  try  to  prove  your  view  or  how  much  of  a  ______ist  you  are  not  l  Avoid  equa&ng  your  experiences  with  that  of  others  l  Share  ways  that  the  microaggression  can  be  overcome  l  Make  the  “invisible”  visible  by  using  inclusive  language  l  Ask  objec&ve  ques&ons  (explain  and  elaborate)  l  Be  an  Upstander  

Sentence  Frames  /  acknowledgement….  l  If  it  is  ok  with  you,  can  I  ask  you  more  about  _____________.  

l  I  don’t  know  much  about  this  informa&on,  but  I  am  wondering  if  I  can  ask  you  because  I  trust  you…..  

l  I  may  make  a  mistake  in  the  way  I  phrase  this……  

Next  Steps  -­‐  Discussion  l What  steps  can  you  take,  star&ng  today,  to  help  our  campus  and  community  overcome  microaggressions  and  communicate  inclusively?  

l How  can  you  correct  microaggressions  you  hear  or  receive  in  a  produc&ve  way?  

 

Ques3ons?      

Sources  l  Taken  from:  Sue,  Capodilupo,  Torino,  Bucceri,  Holder,  Nadal  &  Equilin,  2007  

l  Arizona  State  University  Residen&al  Life  –  Campus  Microaggressions  

l  hOp://codac.uoregon.edu/files/2011/02/Sue-­‐et-­‐al.-­‐2009.pdf  

l  hOp://psychology.ucdavis.edu/aacdr/suemar10.pdf  

l  hOp://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-­‐microagressions-­‐you-­‐hear-­‐on-­‐a-­‐daily-­‐basis