Let’s talk about microaggressions. Don’t worry if you don’t know what it is, that’s what I’m here for. I had to take a Culture Competence class in order to learn about it. But it should be common knowledge, so here we go.

What it is:

Microaggressions: "comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group” (Miriam-Webster).

The term ‘microaggression’ was originally coined by psychiatrist Dr. Chester Pierce in the 1970’s. Most commonly known for its use by Columbia professor Derald Sue to describe "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.”

This subtle form of racism is so commonly used that in a normal conversation, it may not seem like anything. But the reality, though, is that it can be more harmful than you may expect. An individual may have to hear a phrase like, “Oh, well you’re Asian so you can’t drive”, over and over in their life, and this can be internalized to create a self-hate, or feelings of being inferior. The longer that minority individuals hear these things, the more they begin to believe it and see it as true in themselves.

Microaggressions can affect any socially marginalized group. Microaggressions can be mispronouncing a name, and not trying to correct yourself, laughing at another’s name because it sounds “different”, making assumptions based on ethnicity, and many others. In 2013 Buzzfeed did an article on examples of everyday microaggressions around Fordham University's Lincoln Campus.

How to stop it:

There are a few simple ways to go about stopping or preventing microaggressions:

• Speak up when you hear a microaggression.
• Be aware of what comes out of your own mouth, and think before you speak.
• Educate others.

So there you have it. I hope I was able to share a small amount of knowledge with you today, and if you are interested in learning more about microaggressions, I urge you to get onto Google and find some articles. Hop onto JStor, or Academic Premier, and you'll have weeks of material to read.

And now that you know a little more than you did at the start of this article, I hope that you'll share this information about microaggressions with others. Let's fight for equality and justice for all.