Practicing Awareness of Microagressions

This took place a couple of months ago, we were in a store that provides cellular service and my daughter-in-law was helping me find a cell phone because I really don’t understand about choosing one.  There was a black lady and a coal miner that must have just gotten off work and he was covered with coal dust.  They were standing at a circular counter with two registers and only one sales clerk. The sales clerk was a young lady that I noticed had glanced over a few times at the lady and the coal miner that had been standing patiently for some time as she waited on other customers.  There was this gentleman that was in a suit and nicely dressed came walking in and the clerk walked over to where the gentleman was standing at the counter and asked could she help him.  We were still looking around the store and coal miner turned around and walked out and the lady said, “We have been standing in line.  I think I am next.”  The gentleman said, “She is right. She is next in line.”  We stated, “Yes, she had been standing here for a while.”  After, she had checked out we were all engaging in conversation and we overheard the checkout girl snidely say to another worker that just entered, “This coal miner came in and carried dirt all around the store.”  By this time, the lady had enough, “Sweetie, if not for the coal miners willing to go in the mines you would not have a job.  You need some training in customer service.”  My daughter-in-law and I chimed in, “AMEN! Yes, you do!”    

On observing it taking place I felt sad for the people that were being the target of the microaggression as it was obvious what the clerk was doing.   I wanted to say something—but I was unsure what to do and how to react.  She was valuing a white customer over a person of color and someone that appeared to be more affluent than the coal miner.  “Racial inequities are so deeply ingrained in American society that they are nearly invisible, and most White Americans are unaware of the advantages they enjoy in society and how their attitudes and actions unintentionally discriminate against persons of color” (Wing Sue, Capodilupo, Toringo, Bucceri, Holder, Nada, & Esquilin, 2007, p. 271).  I was pleased that almost everyone there spoke up against the microaggression and it was not left unchallenged.                                                                                                                         

I think studying about microaggressions this week and the forms that they take brings awareness to the brief everyday indignities that convey devaluing or negative racial offensives or insults. It also brought understanding to the effects and the power these although short-lived communications can have on the individual or target of the microaggressions.  Dr. D. Wing Sue (2007) states:                                                                                                                                               

“Although microaggressions may be seemingly innocuous and insignificant, their effects   can be quite dramatic.  D. W. Sue believes that this contemporary form of racism is many times over more problematic, damaging, and injurious to persons of color than overt racist acts.  It has been noted that the cumulative effects of racial microaggressions may theoretically result in diminished morality, augmented morbidity and flattened confidence” (p. 279). 

The victim of the microaggression may question many aspects of the incident such as did it actually happen, was it intentional, how do I react, etc.  These types of experiences can be very detrimental to one’s sense of reality and very frustrating where if it is not subtle it can be directly addressed.   

References

Wing Sue, D., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007, May-June). Racial microaggressions in everyday life implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist. Retrieved from http://olc.edu/~jolson/socialwork/OnlineLibrary/microaggression%20article.pdf