Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

By Anita L. Coles

Early in my years I  was in the college of civil engineer. When I first started the course I did quite well I had a GPA of 3.8. However, when I started my research class I begun to do poorly. In the beginning I thought it was all my fault that I was doing to poorly. At the time I was taking care of my sick dad, raising two small children alone, and holding down a full time job. So I thought too much on my plate

I met with the professor of my research class to ask him what could I do to help get my GPA back up. The professor informed me that he did not think that I could do anything because some people from certain racial background have a harder time understanding certain academics than other races. He went on to say that I should not worry and if I receive a “D” as my final grade (we were not even midway with this course) and a “D” is a passing grade this microaggression was in the form of Microassult and microinsult (Sue 2011) . On that note, I wrote a letter to the college Dean of Electrical Engineering I informed the Dean that I believe that his department housed a few teachers that were prejudices

The college/Dean’s replied to by stating  that the school researched and found that other people of color were attending the College, and had no complains and therefore believed the college had not violated any laws.  I dropped out of college for two years. Letter I went back to the same school different program and graduated with a 3.6 GPA, and cumulatively a 4.0.  

While I was attending class, I ran into my old EE (Electrical Engineer) advisor. He ask me why I dropped out of the EE department I told him if I tell you, you would not believe me, than he said to me “was it because some of the teachers were prejudice? My mouth flew open; than he told me his wife attended the same college, and was treated the say way. He also said that one of the teachers made a racist remark about his wife (at the time the teacher who made the racist remark was  not aware this women was my advisor’s wife (my advisor was White his wife Black).  This situation took place some twenty odd years ago.

However, a few days ago my daughter and I were having lunch at a restaurant were my daughter also work part-time as a server. One of their regular customers (a middle age Hispanic man) saw her sitting and jokingly asks her why she is not working. She told him that she was working a later shift because she had finals early that morning. He asks her what she was studying … she told him Electrical Engineering; he replied “Oh you must be attending the  Branch,” she said to him, “although there is nothing at all wrong with attending the branch,  I am not and have not attended the branch.” The hidden message is the only way you could obtain an EE degree  is to attend a lesser demanding college/University (Sue, 2011) (Gorki, 2008, p. 2). Then he asks her if she thought that she might have a hard time getting hired anywhere; hidden message, you are going to have a hard time getting a job because you are women and a Black women at that (Sue, 2011).  Her replied to him was that she has already accepted a job offer in Texas and should begin working right after graduation. The man just looked sheepish and replied “oh.”  In my opinion times have not changed much. There is still so much work to be done.  These two examples represented two types of prejudices, one against a person of color (possible gender as well); and the other color and gender.

In order to became more aware of and to work on eliminating actions such a microaggression we as teachers/educators, and parents need to encourage our young children to do what my daughter is doing: seek and continue to seek higher education; if in order to pursue a dream and or a goal dare to move  outside their comfort zone; Lastly but certainly not least, respectfully defend their cultural inheritances(Seifert, 2007, p.7)

 

                              References

Gorski, P. (2008). The myth of the "culture of poverty." Educational

           leadership, 65(7), 32--36. Academic Search Complete database.

Laureate Education Inc. (2011). (Derald Wing Sue, PhD).

           Microaggressions in everyday life.

Seifert, T. (2007). Understanding Christian privilege: Managing the

           tensions of spiritual plurality. About Campus, 12(2), 10—17

          Academic Search Complete database.