What is it about?
Racial microaggressions can be interpersonal or environmental. This paper explores Black college students' experiences of environmental racial microaggressions which have no apparent offender. Unfortunately, students reported experiencing six types of environmental racial microaggressions in various university settings. Fortunately, knowledge garnered from students' shared experiences can be used to inform research and practice at similar institutions (e.g., predominantly White institutions) and those aiming to advance campus climate, diversity, and inclusivity.
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Why is it important?
Findings suggest that exclusionary and microaggressive messages are systematically perpetuated within university settings. These findings lend support for expanding environmental racial microaggressions research to better understand their prevalence in academic settings, the resultant impact on Black students, and actions necessary within universities to alleviate environmental racial microaggressions.
Perspectives
This project added to my deep appreciation of students' willingness to share their experiences, and their carefully constructed perspectives on how to move toward positive change. I hope that this article helps others consider how settings can communicate microaggressive messages, and our roles in perpetuating or dismantling such messages in every day work. Peace and Productivity.
Dr. Kristen J. Mills
Ohio State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: “It’s systemic”: Environmental racial microaggressions experienced by Black undergraduates at a predominantly White institution., Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, May 2019, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dhe0000121.
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