Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people 


"Microaggressions are brief everyday indignities that are verbal, behavioral or environmental, that they may be intentional or unintentionally communicated to women, to people of color, to gay/lesbians that have an insulting message behind them that often time causes severe psychological distress and harm" (Laureate Education, 2011).

This week I was hyper aware of cases of microaggressions. I found the most examples in the media. While driving to work I was listening to my favorite morning show. The hosts were bantering back and forth as they typically do when one said to the other " you're at the bottom of the totem pole buddy". Had I heard this discussion a week earlier I wouldn't have batted an eyelash at the phrase as it has become common in the American lexicon. However, in the past week I learned about microagressions and the unconscious indignities that that impose. I also happened to learn that the phrase in and of itself is wrong. The phrase is meant to say that one is not important, a priority, or a leader among a group of individuals. However in Native American tradition the leaders and most important people or characters from stories are placed at the bottom of the totem pole rather than the top. My sister shared this information with me after learning it from a Native American presenter at a work function who shared that and other offenses Americans commonly make without realizing it. When I first heard the host say the phrase I immediately thought " oh wow there is a microaggression that I never would have thought about". Being an African American I could write a long list of microaggressions that I've experienced or heard of from close friends and family however I never really thought of what would be considered a microgragression to another minority group. My observation this week helped me realize that I am not as aware of discrimination as I previously thought. I have always considered myself well educated and sensitive to the cultures and traditions of others. This experience has helped me further understand that being sensitive and aware is not always enough.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Microaggressions in everyday life [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

• This week I was challenged with asking three people with various backgrounds to define what the words "culture" and "diversity" mean to them. Here are those responses:
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• A.W.
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  Culture is the beliefs, ways of life, and thinking of a group of people. I believe ones culture can evolve through life experiences, however there will always be traces of their original culture. As a child, culture is presented to you through your parents beliefs and actions. Culture also depends on the area in which people live and can be influenced/challenged by outside sources.
  
  Diversity is the combination of many different races and cultures in a group. Some people are open to diverse situations and others steer clear of them. Having grown up in Northern Virginia, I have been exposed to diversity from a young age. To me, diversity is natural and I don't look at people based on their race or beliefs. On the other hand, I have family members from small towns in the Mid-West who being in diversity situations make them uncomfortable so they try to steer clear of them.
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• B.A.
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• My definition of culture is all of the influences in one's life that shape who the are, whether they be family, education, lived experiences, etc.
  
  
   My definition of diversity goes beyond race/ethnicity and gender to include people of different abilities, ways of thinking, and personalities coming together.
   
• A. J.
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• To me, culture is the collection of factors that distinguish a person or community. Culture consists of a variety of factors but also is fluid and evolves and can be influenced by entities and concepts from outside of the culture.
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• Diversity is the presence of differing perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, groups, and approaches.

 I am impressed with the depth and breadth of understanding of culture and diversity that was shared with me.  I am mostly impressed because I believe all the areas of culture and diversity that have been discussed in this course were mentioned such as "culture is the beliefs, ways of life, and thinking of a group of people", "culture can evolve", "diversity goes beyond race/ethnicity and gender to include people of different abilities..." and "culture is the collection of factors that distinguish a person or community."

I can not think of any factors of culture or diversity that were omitted. Other's definitions of these two words has influenced my own thinking because it makes me hopeful that more people have a true understandings of the depth of the meaning of the two words.

My Family Culture

I have been challenged with the following hypothetical situation:
 
Imagine the following:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

 
1. How you would explain to others what each of these items means to you
2. Your feelings if, upon arrival, you were told that you could only keep one personal item and have to give up the other two items you brought with you
3. Any insights you gained about yourself, your family culture, diversity, and/or cultural differences in general, as a result of this exercise,

I would chose to take with me my family tree portfolio, educational material, angel from the top of the Christmas. I created the family tree portfolio in high school which includes artifacts and information from both my mother and father's sides of the family along with audio recording of family members sharing what they know about from oral accounts about our ancestors. I choose this item because it is a reminder of how far my family has come and would serve as a source of inspiration as we embark on a new phase of our journey. The next item I choose was a dictionary because it represents education. Education has always been a very important presence in my family. Several of my family members were educators and education played a significant role in the success of my family post slavery and the civil rights movement. The final item I choose is the angel that my family places on the top of our Christmas tree every year. the angel represents the part of my family's culture that celebrates and embraces the Christmas holiday and all that it means. My family gathers to decorate the tree with the angel being the last item to be placed on the tree. We get to spend the most amount of time together during this time of the year and it is considered precious. This time of year of course also celebrates an important part of our religion.
If I were told upon arrival that I could only take one item i would feel hurt and betrayed. It would be an extremely difficult decision but I think I would choose the family tree portfolio. I would choose it as a reminder that we've overcome adversity and seemingly impossible situations and as inspiration to continue to persevere. I realized that ti was very difficult to choose items that represent my family's culture because some of the most important aspects of my family aren't easily represented by concrete objects.