1. small actions that are a big deal
Microaggressions
small actions that are a big deal
Molly Higgins, Stony Brook University
Charlotte Roh, University of Massachusetts Amherst

2. In today’s talk: What is a microaggression?
Do we see microaggressions in libraries?
How can we use the framework of microaggressions to address racial inequality?

3. What is a microaggression?

4. What is a microaggression?
“Racial microaggressions are 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.”
Sue, 2007, p 271
Let’s put the formal definition in here, touch on it briefly, then focus on the next slide. That way people will have the information.
Things to note, we’re talking about race in this talk, but microaggressions have been applied to issues of gender, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, age, etc.

5. They make me feel like this…

6. ...and sometimes this.

7. Taxonomy of Racial Microaggressions Sue et al. (2007)
Microinsult
Microassault
Microinvalidation
Environmental Microaggressions
Ascription of intelligence
Second class citizen
Pathologizing cultural values/communication styles
Assumption of criminal status
Alien in own land
Color blindness
Myth of meritocracy
Denial of individual racism

8. Do we see microaggressions in libraries?

9. Patrons experience them...
Students of color ranked libraries in top ten of campus locations where they felt uncomfortable because of their race.
Harwood, S. A., Choi, S., Orozco, M., Browne Huntt, M., & Mendenhall, R. (2015)
Librarians
Systems
I wanted to do something on the Section 14(c) program, wihch was was initially intended to encourage employment of people with disabilities. In the National Council on Disability recommended changes because everyone should “have the tools necessary to lift themselves out of poverty, including a fair and equitable wage.”
But I’m not sure that’s what you were thinking when you wrote “systems”?
I was thinking about environmental microaggressions.

10. Librarians experience them...
Patrons
Students of color ranked libraries in top ten of campus locations where they felt uncomfortable because of their race.
Harwood, S. A., Choi, S., Orozco, M., Browne Huntt, M., & Mendenhall, R. (2015)
Librarians
Nationally, librarians are 89% white but...
Academic librarians of color report experiencing microaggressions at higher rates than their white colleagues reporting observing microaggressions.
ALA Office of Statistics and Alabi, Jaena. (2015)
Systems
According to the U.S. Census, in New York, the population is
55% White
17% African American
17% Latino
8% Asian Pacific Islander
2% Bi or multiracial
1% American Indian
According to the ALA Office of Statistics, 89% of librarians are white.

11. They are built into our library systems (environmental microaggressions)...
Patrons
Students of color ranked libraries in top ten of campus locations where they felt uncomfortable because of their race.
Harwood, S. A., Choi, S., Orozco, M., Browne Huntt, M., & Mendenhall, R. (2015)
Librarians
Nationally, librarians are 89% white but...
Academic librarians of color report experiencing microaggressions at higher rates than their white colleagues reporting observing microaggressions.
ALA Office of Statistics and Alabi, Jaena. (2015)
Systems
lismicroaggressions.tumblr.com/

12. How can we use microaggressions to address racial inequality?

13. A bad idea...
A bad idea...

14. Another Bad Idea
Another bad idea...

15. Good Ideas! Address the microaggression, not the person
Address the impact, but respect the intent
Find allies who can relate to your experiences and support you
Support those who experience microaggressions by speaking up, offering encouragement, and listening

16. Interaction Time! “You are so articulate!”
I’m assigned to every search committee because I’m the only Latina librarian.
“Can I touch your hair?”
I see a patron ignored at a library counter as attention is given to someone else.
I am deaf and was told not to speak so loudly. I can’t hear myself so I don’t know my volume.
Examples modified from Sue’s “Examples of Racial Microaggression” table and the LIS Microaggressions Tumblr

17. Training in the Workplace
The Southern Poverty Law Center has some useful toolkits and publications.
We recommend Speak Up! Responding to Everyday Bigotry because it is structured around real stories.
Free download at

18. References
Alabi, Jaena “Racial Microaggressions in Academic Libraries: Results of a Survey or Minority and Non-minority Librarians.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship. 41, 47-53
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Median weekly earnings, 2004–2014 on the Internet at (visited June 01, 2015).
Harwood, S. A., Choi, S., Orozco, M., Browne Huntt, M., & Mendenhall, R. (2015). Racial microaggressions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Voices of students of color in the classroom. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Microaggressions in Librarianship. (visited June 02, 2015).
Southern Poverty Law Center. (2012). Speak Up! Responding to Everyday Bigotry. on the Internet at (visited June 01, 2015).
Sue, D., Capodilupo, C., Torino, G., Bucceri, J., Holder, A., Nadal, K., & Esquilin, M. (2007). “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice.” American Psychologist. 62(4),

19. Learn More! Contact us… Read up…
Molly Higgins:
@mollygoggles
Charlotte Roh:
@charlotterock
Read up…
takes you to a copy of these slides
Thanks to Isabel Espinal for her help with this presentation.