Rebranding Microaggressions: Otherizing and Marginalization Nina Sethi

Welcome! Take a moment to meet the folks next to you. Tell each other: Name Affiliated organization(s) What you hope to get out of this workshop

Workshop Agenda Introduction Background information on microaggressions Rebranding microaggressions Implications of otherizing Responding to otherizing Resources Questions and discussion Feedback

Read Pair Respond The word "microaggression" can be misleading and cause marginalization to be diminished and misunderstood. This workshop seeks to rebrand microaggressions as "otherizing" to directly express the impact and action of microaggressions. What is your reaction to the word “microaggressions?” What is your reaction to the word “otherizing?”

Who I Am 5th grade co-teacher ESL and elementary educator Social justice curriculum integration Responsive Classroom/active learning Check on who is present

Microaggressions: definition microaggressions: “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color” and marginalized communities of all stripes. The word “microaggression,” was coined in 1970 by Harvard professor and psychologist Chester M. Pierce. may be verbal, nonverbal, or environmental

Common Themes Alien in Own Land: When Asian Americans and Latinos are assumed to be "foreigners” Ascription of Intelligence: Assigning intelligence to a person based on their race, gender or (perceived) abilities. "Intrinsic Skills" & "Personality Types": Using stereotypes of race, gender and sexual orientation to assume an individual's interests and talents. "Color Blindness": Statements that indicate that a White person does not want to acknowledge race Criminality: A person is presumed to be dangerous, criminal, or deviant based on their race, nationality and/or sexual orientation.

Themes cont’d Denial of Individual Prejudice: A statement made by those with social privilege to deny that they have that privilege or any oppressive thinking Myth of Meritocracy: Statements which assert that race, class, gender, abilities or sexual orientation do not play a role in life success. Second Class Citizen: Occurs when a person with social privilege is given preferential treatment over people with oppressed identities. Religious or Cultural Superiority: When a person assumes that their race, religion, or culture (broadly defined) is better than others' Environmental Microaggressions: Ways in which larger systems beyond the individual realm (such as institutional policies and practices) work to maintain systems of privilege and oppression. from http://www.iamsafezone.com/resources/Ally_Handouts_Microaggressions_Table.pdf

Rebranding as “Otherizing” . Microaggressions send the message: This message makes the recipient feel or think: You are the other. I do not belong. You do not belong here. You are different from “us.” I am abnormal. This is “our” school or workplace (not yours). I feel powerless or invisible What consequences might these messages and the related feelings or thoughts cause?

Impacts of Otherizing: Societal Microaggressions matter because they seem to be both symptoms and causes of larger structural problems. May indicate a link to implicit bias White American Males are only 33% of the populations, but make up: • 80% of tenured positions in higher education • 80% of the House of Representatives • 80-85% of the U. S. Senate • 92% of Forbes 400 executive CEO-level positions • 90% of public school superintendents • 99.9% of athletic team owners • 97.7% of U. S. presidents

Impacts of Otherizing: Personal perceived discrimination, felt without knowledge of the exact intent of the otherizer (which happens frequently), can lead to: worse sleep behaviors: less slow wave sleep and more physical fatigue PTSD symptoms negative self-esteem: less self worth anger: can build up and later be read as overreaction.

Keeping silent: It won’t change anything anyway Over 50% of minorities choose to ignore or do nothing about it because of fear of negative consequences (social and professional) According to Clark & Clark (2009) explanations for this nonresponse behavior are: (1) unable to determine whether a microaggression has occurred (2) at a loss for how to respond (3) fearful of the consequences (4) rationalizing that “it won’t do any good anyway,” (5) engaging in self-deception through denial (“It didn’t happen”). Common coping behaviors that go along with nonresponse: Denial Humor Internalization Detachment Turn and Talk: what is an instance when you kept silent?

Response Steps: Yes, that did actually just happen. Take a deep breath. Feel free to walk away, pause, or take a break. Find an ally! Find as many allies as you can. Seek out support from other marginalized groups, on the internet, or friends and family. Ask yourself: What kind of risk will I be taking if I do this? Is this particular action worth my time and effort? Do I know what I want to achieve? Do I need support or assistance for this interaction? 5. If you decide to say nothing at the time, make sure you take care of yourself.

Confrontation: It’s not about you. If you decide to go forward, make sure you know the answers to: Do I know what I want to achieve? Do I need support or assistance for this interaction? Make sure you have whatever support or assistance you need before you start the interaction. Talk face to face. Email can lead to further miscommunication. Try to focus on the event, not the person. Be clear and specific (as much as possible). What behavior would you like stopped? What statement or action was problematic? Try to avoid being drawn into general discussions of race or inclusivity (for now!). Don’t tell the person you are confronting that it is ok. Say you appreciate their apology or you understand that they did not intend to cause offense if applicable.

Explaining Otherizing: Why it’s hurtful and problematic Explain that intent is greater than impact Example: physical harm caused by accident Tell the actor: it’s not about you Who is the majority? Who is the minority or “other”? What messages are you sending about who does or does not belong “here”? “Whether conscious or unconscious, microaggressions are acts that silence or minimize those with less power. What might seem minor to the more powerful actor can have long-lasting, damaging effects on a recipient who encounters these kinds of marginalizing experiences daily.” (D. W. Sue, 2005). Actors frequently “fail to see a pattern of bias, are defended by a belief in their own morality, and can in good conscience deny that they discriminated.” (D. W. Sue, 2005).

Speaking Up about Otherizing as a Bystander “Tell me what you mean..” “Think about why you asked that question.” Be an ally. Echo: I agree with.. Remember, you can always refer back to the occurrence and say something at a later time. Example: I’ve learned the most from some of those kids! Example: I’ve learned the most from some of those kids! -they are separate from “us” -we are allowing them into “our” school/workplace/etc

Otherizing in the Classroom Have you ever encountered otherizing between students in your classroom or school? Response Steps INTERRUPT: Stop when you hear a biased remark. QUESTION: Why do you say that? What do you mean? Tell me more. EDUCATE: explain the problematic statement ECHO: be an additional voice against bias. These are teachable moments! from: http://www.tolerance.org/publication/basic-strategies

Resources for adults Meritocracy or Bias? Microaggressions Matter Microaggressions in Everyday Life Unmasking 'racial micro aggressions' Why do my co-workers keep confusing me with other people? Because I’m Asian What Goes Through Your Mind: On Nice Parties and Casual Racism http://www.microaggressions.com Boss Says You're Smart...For A Woman

Reflection Techniques to Try Silent conversations: create a safe and reflective discussion protocol Starting difficult conversations with a photograph or quote with prompts to respond to: “I think... I wonder...” “I used to think... but now I’m thinking..”

Activities to Try When you’ve felt marginalized/what emotion you felt (action/event + feeling) What’s your value?: note how quickly rejection sets in IAT: implicit association test Write down your bias, read others Being a witness vs. being an ally Drawing stereotypes

More Activities to Try Comfort in social situations questionnaire From Activities for Teaching about Prejudice and Discrimination: Comfort in social situations questionnaire Identity Star Activity Entertainment Personality Worksheet Also a great activity: look at the leading roles played by Asian actors/actresses Microaggressions and their hidden meaning activity

Questions and Contact info Nina Sethi Sheridan School, Washington, DC nsethi@sheridanschool.org TEACHpluralism.squarespace.com @teachpluralism

Sources https://www.minitex.umn.edu/Training/DisplaySessionHandout.aspx?Title=Identifying%20and%20Responding%20to%20Microaggressions&SessionID=580 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-small-microaggressions-big.html#jCp https://www.mtholyoke.edu/sites/default/files/counseling/docs/MicroaggressionProcessModels.pdf http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/microaggressions-matter/406090/ https://thsppl.com/the-microaggression-question-26335beed8ee#.stvujd8wb http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.25.5.635 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0020026 http://jbd.sagepub.com/content/30/2/107.short http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-006-9081-4 https://racialmicroaggressions.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/how-do-you-respond-to-racial-microaggressions/ http://www.npr.org/2014/04/10/301417507/boss-says-youre-smart-for-a-woman https://thsppl.com/the-microaggression-question-26335beed8ee#.b5c8ym90j http://www.tolerance.org/publication/dynamic http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/26/us/race-of-american-power.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0