Racial Microaggressions

Sue et al. (2007) described racial microaggressions as ‘‘brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults towards people of color” (p. 273). Additionally, Sue and colleagues developed several categories of racial microaggressions – microassaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. Microassaults, thought to be intentional and conscious, are hostile behaviors that aim or are used to harm racial/ethnic minority individuals through verbal attacks, avoidance, or discrimination (e.g., “referring to someone as ‘colored’” or “displaying a swastika,” p. 274). Microinsults, often unconscious, represent indirect insults that degrade a person’s racial heritage (e.g., “A store owner following a customer around the store,” p. 276). Similarly unconscious, microinvalidations are communications that render invisible or negate racial/ethnic minority peoples’ experiences, cognitions, and emotions related to their race/ethnicity (e.g., “When I look at you, I don’t see color,” p. 276). Sue et al. (2007) also noted that all three forms of microaggressions can occur at systemic levels and term these incidents environmental microaggressions.