Microaggressions, over time, leave a mark

A woman clutches her purse as a man of color passes her on the sidewalk. A new employee with an accent is asked "Where are you really from?" during a staff orientation. A woman who uses a wheelchair struggles to access a public restroom that was designed without consideration for disabled patrons.

These are microaggressions, defined by psychologist Derald Wing Sue, PhD, as "everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership."

On the surface, microaggressions seem innocent enough. The reality is otherwise, according to Marian R. Vasser, assistant vice president of inclusive excellence and belonging at the University of Louisville, who says microaggressions cause harm by reinforcing negative stereotypes and biases. Over time, all these little wounds wear a person down, both in body and soul.

Marian R. Vasser, an inclusivity official at the University of Louisville, led a workshop on microaggressions at the AVMA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing Summit, held November 7-9 in Atlanta. Microaggressions can and do cause harm, whether intended or unintended. She says we can all play a role in identifying, mitigating, and potentially reducing them over time.

Vasser led a workshop on the cumulative effects of microaggressions as part of the educational program of the inaugural AVMA Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness, and Wellbeing Summit on November 8 in Atlanta.

She likened microaggressions to being bitten by a mosquito. "One mosquito bite is annoying, it itches. No big deal, right?" Vasser said. "But what if you were in a room with a thousand mosquitoes that were perpetually biting you? That's exactly what microaggressions feel like."

Microaggressions must be understood within the context of intersectionality, that is, a recognition that an individual can experience marginalization for multiple aspects of their identity, such as race or gender, compounding the person's trauma. "As a woman, yes, I experience microaggressions," Vasser said, "but I'm also a Black woman, and that adds another layer of oppression."

"When people say, 'We're not going to talk about race today, we're only going to talk about disability.' Well, cool, but do you know that people living with disabilities who are also people of color experience even more inequities? We can't just talk about this as a singular issue. Intersectionality must be a part of it."

Vasser stressed not every rude or insensitive act is necessarily a microaggression. So how to distinguish between the two? She says it comes down who has power and privilege.

"If everything gets the microaggression label, guess what happens to the people who are the most historically marginalized? They're going to get pushed to the back, and we're going to center the people who already hold the power," she said.

Saying you care only about a person's character may sound noble, but Vasser says such statements actually reinforce marginalization. "If I train myself not to notice the diversity that you bring to the table, then I'm also training myself not to be aware of barriers, and I can't be a part of the solution. But when I see diversity, I hear those microaggressions. I notice inequitable policies, and I can be a part of the solution," she said.

Microaggressions stem from our implicit biases, Vasser said, which we may not even be aware of. She encouraged attendees to take Implicit Association Test, an online test developed by Harvard University to identify user's attitudes and beliefs on a range of subjects, including race, gender, and age. Have honest conversations about these beliefs, learn to accept feedback as a gift, and commit to addressing biases when they manifest, she said.

Vasser also encouraged attendees to educate themselves about how privilege and power work.

"We're not striving for perfection," she said. "We're not trying to get a trophy. We are committing to a journey, so mess up, learn from it, and get up the next day committed to doing better."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.