Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

In everyday life we become so use to stereotypes and prejudice actions that we sometimes over look the obvious. This assignment helped raised my awareness and I have been able to recall certain situation and actually witnessed microaggression. For an example, I was at the bank waiting for a notary. I was the first one in the waiting section. Soon after I was there, a Caucasian male showed up. Then two other people showed a man and woman who appeared to be Hispanic or Mexican decent. When the notary finally appeared and asked who she could help, it appeared that she talked right over my head and the non-Caucasian people that were present. She never made eye contact with me. The entire time she was talking she looked at the Caucasian male and back down at the papers she was holding in her hand. When I spoke and told her I was next in line she was very polite and friendly. I honestly don’t even think she realized what she did, or how she made me feel like I didn’t have any power.

During the summer time I enjoy my vacation time. I can run errands during the day while majority of the people are at work. Many times I get a stereotype for being unemployed and uneducated. People are quick to ask so do you work? Are you in school and when I say yes I am; I am working on my Master of Science degree and tell them what it is in, they’re completely shocked. To cover things up, people usually tell me they are so shocked because I look so young. Sometimes I dread going out during the day because I get the look as to say I’m wasting my life away and I am unimportant. Sometimes I feel like designing a shirt saying I am educated just on vacation, it is really frustrating.

Listening to Dr. Derald Wing Sue it reminded me of other situations I have experienced. I remember Dr. Derald Wing Sue talking about his experience with a taxi cab driver. How the driver told him he spoke perfect English and how the driver seemed amazed that his English was so well. This reminded me of my next example that I talk “white”. I remember in High School being told by African American girls and the kicker is also told by Caucasian girls that I talk “white”. This puzzled me because I never knew there was a “white language”. The way I talk is natural and I can’t alter how I sound. I believe the way I speak reflects my education. I can’t understand why speaking incorrect grammar makes you part of a specific race. When situations like this occur I almost feel as if people are trying to strip some of the power I possess maybe unintentionally or intentionally, either way it is offensive.

Reflecting on certain situations and circumstances I have endured reiterates that discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes are very much alive. However, what I realized most is that many people are unconscious of their behavior and do not even realize that it is offensive. When finding yourself in a situation is difficult to figure out what you should do. As Dr. Derald Wing Sue says you can either ignore the situation or confront the matter. Ignoring doesn’t resolve the situation and sometimes addressing the matter doesn’t either. I really do not feel there is an easy answer for resolving this issue.   


“Microaggressions in Everyday Life”