Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

As I listened to a lecture on microaggressions by Dr. Derald Wing Sue, a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University (Laureate Education, 2011), so many light bulbs came on in my head. All the behaviors I have been observing that deeply disturbed me in the international school setting where I work finally had a name: microaggressions.  Microaggressions are ,"verbal behaviors that create feelings of uncertainty and inferiority and marginalization, even though no offence was consciously intended" (Laureate Education, 2011, :24). They are harmful on many levels; the person who delivers the  microaggression is not aware of the underlying attitude that is being conveyed; the person on the receiving end of the microaggression is hurt in a deep way; and, the relationship between the two is damaged or destroyed over time (Laureate Education, 2011).

In the span of my career at international schools, I have observed countless microaggressions, and if I must be honest, have probably been the perpetrator of countless more. One example comes to mind, one that saddens me so.  The school was set up for western NGOs who are mainly of the Christian faith. In one class, we had a beautiful little girl whose mother was a Christian from Asia and her father, a Muslim from the Middle East.  The girl's teacher, a loving, well-intentioned woman from a Christian background, would often talk to the students about the lost Muslims and how they need to be saved from Hell. The girl would go home every night and cry, expressing confusion to her parents. She interpreted the things the teacher was telling the class as "Muslims are bad". How could the grandmother and aunts and uncles who were so loving and kind to her be evil and bad? She was deeply traumatized.  When the administration heard of this, they tried to help the teacher understand how what she was saying was impacting the girl.  We sent the girl to the school counselor for awhile to try to help her. The mirror image of that experience happened to my children when they attended local schools where Islam is the dominant religion. 

Seifert (2007) talks about the implications of Christian privilege in the United States and how, unconsciously, the dominance of Christian religious architecture, cultural observations, and assumption of rights can marginalize those of other religions.  This is true, but Christians do not have a monopoly on asserting their religious privilege. In each area of the world, Hindu privilege, Muslim privilege, Buddhist privilege, Jewish privilege, etc. etc. is having an impact on marginalizing the religious minority others.  It is endemic in human societies.

How can we make a difference? We educators need to be the change. Self-education and introspection is where I will begin. Where am I projecting microaggression? When I observe it happening in the classroom, workroom, or playground, I must have the courage to intervene, to help others realize what it is they are doing to another human, to give alternatives.  As I have the knowledge now, I have the responsibility to be the change. We all do.