MICROAGGRESSION WITH RACISM

By Zibora Gilder This week, a staff member accused a colleague of being racist, sparking a deep dive into the murky waters of bias. Questions like “Can Black people be racist?” and “How often do we confuse actions like stereotyping or micro-aggressions with racism?” bubbled to the surface. These terms oft en get tangled up, so let’s break them down with a bit of help from Urban Dictionary: • Stereotype: A generalized truth about a particular cul-ture or group. • Microaggression: Everyday verbal or nonverbal slights or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that com-municate derogatory mes-sages targeting people based on their marginalized group membership. Microaggres-sions can include: o Microassaults: Direct, intentional discriminatory ac-tions. o Microinsults: Subtle verbal or nonverbal communica-tions that convey rudeness and insensitivity. o Microinvalidations: Communications that subtly exclude or nullify the thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color. For example, asking a less ex-perienced white counterpart to clarify something a Black boss said is a microinvalidation. Th is particular one bothers many professionals more than oth-ers. As a Black woman, being knowledgeable and accountable is a point of pride. Racism: Desiring to benefit from the oppression of others, especially maliciously or at the detriment...