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Anti-racism Resources

This guide explores the causes and impacts of racism and how to be anti-racist.

Microaggressions

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 et al. 2007).

 

                                           

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Three Forms of Microaggressions 

  1. Microassault - most similar to what is traditionally thought of as “overt discrimination.” Microassaults can be verbal, nonverbal, or environmental:
  2. Microinsult - a comment or action that communicates insensitivity or disregard of a person's identity 
  3. Microinvalidation - a comment or action that ignores or dismisses the thoughts, feelings or experiences of a member of an oppressed group

For more information see the following videos from PBS:

Microassaults, Microinsults, and Microinvalidations | PBS LearningMedia

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“Open CSCU” by the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 International License. The individual items included are subject to their respective license provisions.