The Major Problem of Microaggressions

Workshop Primer

The following “mini module” is a ~15-20 minute primer for anyone who intends to take Ambit’s The Major Problem of Microaggressions training.
Going through this introductory learning before the session will help you get the most out of your time in the workshop.

What are microaggressions?

If a bias is a subconscious thought or belief that either favours or limits a person or group, then a microaggression is the subsequent behaviour, action, or use of language in which these biases “show up”. While biases and/or discrimination can be (and often are) present in policies, marketing, recruitment strategies, and hiring practices, microaggressions are typically experienced in our day-to-day interactions with other people.
The term “microaggression” was coined in 1970 by Harvard University psychiatrist Dr. Chester M. Pierce to describe the many ways that non-Black Americans inflicted insults, indignities, and invalidations on Black Americans.

It’s important to note that the “micro” in “microaggression” describes that these events are assumed to be small or insignificant by those perpetrating them. The impact of microaggressions, however, is macro-level in scope. The accumulation of these microaggressions over time has very real and substantial consequences that deeply affect the health and wellbeing of marginalized people and communities.

Some key characteristics of microaggressions are that they are commonly:

– Delivered casually, frequently, and are often disguised as a “compliment,” “advice,” or “just being curious,” although they are received as harmful, disrespectful, dehumanizing, and/or invasive. As Dr. Derald Wing Sue, scholar and author of Microaggressions in Everyday Life (2010) says, microaggressions are “constant, continual, and cumulative” over a lifetime.

– Subtle rather than explicit, making them difficult to track/trace/“prove”

– Unintended / unnoticed / easily deniable by those perpetrating the harm. Even if the harm is acknowledged, it is often treated as an isolated incident, and there is often still a denial that the microaggression is part of a larger systemic pattern or problem (e.g. racism, sexism, ableism, classism, homophobia etc.)

Identity, Lived Experience, and Subconscious Bias

While people from differing backgrounds and identities can have interpersonal challenges and conflict based on personal characteristics/traits (eg. introverted vs. extroverted) or relationship styles/tendencies (eg. assertive vs. conflict avoidant), microaggressions are instead rooted in subconscious biases, assumptions, or stereotypes based on one or multiple elements of the person’s identity/background.

Please watch this 6-minute video on “Why We Need to Understand
Microaggressions” to hear more about the impact of microaggressions on campuses (on the left).

Remember, even if the person perpetrating the microaggressions is not aware of their biases and did not intend to cause harm, the microaggression often still has a significant impact on a marginalized person’s sense of safety, or lack thereof, in the workplace or classroom.

For more information on the difference between intention vs. impact, watch this 2-minute video (on the right).

Because microaggressions are so closely tied with subconscious/implicit bias, you might want to consider additional learning opportunities that focus on that subject. One place to start could be to go through a few of the Harvard Implicit Association Tests to explore your own biases and areas of higher awareness.

Taking action

Working towards more equitable workplaces, classrooms, and communities requires a multi-pronged approach. We must centre (and believe) the experiences of those impacted by systemic injustice, and look for places to take action, whether that’s through self-reflection, shifting how we engage in relationships, or addressing systemic barriers.
Working alongside a marginalized person or group can involve:

  • Pursuing organizational changes that redistribute power and resources to marginalized employees/students (e.g. paying people for the time and energy they spend educating their colleagues or classmates or participating on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives/committees)
  • Working to ensure that policies are relevant to those who exist outside of dominant/privileged norms (i.e. are policies relevant and applicable to people who are Black, Indigenous, Bi/Multiracial, and/or People of Colour? Employees with disabilities? Queer and Trans employees? …)
  • Hosting events that amplify marginalized voices and experiences, and donating proceeds to organizations that support these communities.
  • Creating mentorship / paid internship opportunities for marginalized people to help build capacity and address barriers in the education and employment pathway.
  • Taking personal initiative to learn more about people or identities that you aren’t as familiar with in order to expose and address underlying biases you may have

While these and other actions are important components of working in solidarity with marginalized people and communities, this training will focus on what you can do in the moment when you witness a microaggression happening. The training will not focus on “self-defense” or what to do if microaggressions are being directed at you, and will instead focus on strategies for intervening as an act of allyship such that marginalized
colleagues aren’t constantly tasked with self-advocating. Interrupting microaggressions in this way is sometimes called microresistance or “Bystander Intervention”.
Bystander Intervention can be an effective tool because it positions everyone as a potential change-maker, rather than reserving the power to create change to only those who are in positions of organizational power (i.e. policy makers or those in leadership roles). In the workshop, we’ll co-develop some strategies for Bystander Intervention with the hopes of building skills for shifting workplace and classroom culture.

We hope The Major Problem of Microaggressions training provides an opportunity for self-reflection and improves your personal and organizational capacity for intervening in microaggressions when they happen.

Additional resources to deepen your understanding will also be circulated to you after the session.