Across the nation, many have taken the initiative to challenge and address microaggressive practices in higher education. However, little is known about the experiences of those who stand in the trenches fighting to combat these aggressive practices. Through storytelling, three Black female faculty members share how they designed, implemented, and experienced a workshop illustrating the prevalence of microaggressions in higher education. While their accounts cannot be generalized, this chapter delineates their experiences as counter-narratives to current opposition toward such practices. The authors conclude the chapter with an argument that these stories remain relevant as we continue the practice of challenging microaggressive practices and strive for a more socially just and equitable society where all are respected.
TopIntroduction
Enough Already. “Nice is just not enough,” we both stated simultaneously during a conversation about our shared experiences with numerous faculty and staff at our university. Stories about subtle comments and actions that evoked feelings of self-doubt, frustration, silencing, and isolation seemed to resonate within us as we realized commonalities among our experiences as Black women faculty. There are approximately 500 employees at our institution, with 54% women and 46% men. The most common ethnicity is White (53%). 28% of employees identify as Black or African American, and 10% as Hispanic or Latino. The demographics of our institution help to highlight the context of our experiences further. After many conversations with other faculty, staff, and students from historically underrepresented and under-supported groups, we realized we were experiencing situations where words and behaviors inadvertently insulted or invalidated our lived experiences in isolated events. Sue (2010) posits that dismissiveness, invisibility, and subjugation of historically marginalized groups are pervasive and create uncomfortable, unsafe, and sometimes violent realities in higher education. While many initiatives have emerged to counteract these negative experiences, more must be done. In this paper, we, three Black women faculty, share our experience conducting several workshops about leveraging effective practices against microaggressions at their institution of higher learning.
Microaggressions are defined as subtle, daily, and unintentional racial slights committed against members of racialized groups (Sue et al., 2007). Further, the frequency and impact of microaggressions tend to increase with the intersectionality of gender, sexual orientation, and additional stigmatized identities, which has helped to expand the definition of microaggressions (Sue & Spanierman, 2020; Weber et al., 2018). As such, over the years, we have worked toward improving the campus climate so everyone can feel safe and respected for their personhood. Integral to this issue is addressing microaggressions. Through interactive workshops that engaged faculty, staff, students, and community groups, we focused discussions about microaggressions and offered microactivism as a conduit for social justice. Empowering workshop attendants with microactivists' approaches and responses allowed us to tap into the understanding that everyone has the potential to be a microactivist. Through presentation, discussion, and interactive exercises, participants gained a deeper understanding of microaggressions and their impact on interpersonal interactions across various identities.