This week I had the opportunity to join Dr. Galen Cicel’s Race and Ethnicity class to talk about microaggressions. This was a fun opportunity that allowed me to get out of my office, meet a new group of students, and brush up on a topic that is profoundly present in everyday life. Microaggressions as defined by Sue (2010) are “the brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial, gender, sexual-orientation, and religious slights and insults to the target person or group (5).” They happen everywhere and anywhere (home, school, work the grocery store) are often unintentional and a reflection of our hidden biases. Because they are “micro” it is easy for them to go unnoticed or questioned as significant. Yet, they can hurt deeply particularly when they are compounded on top of each other. In brushing up on the microaggressions literature, humors Buzzfe
An exploration of Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability reflections from PLU Student Leaders, Advocates, and Activists. Spring 2021 we are asking contributors to reflect on anti-racism.