Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts: Understanding and Engaging Microaggressions

"But you speak so well for a _____!" Everyone of us has experienced something said to us, or an interaction focused on us and at least one of our identities, that has made us pause and say "ouch!" internally. These small, often unintentional interactions are a form of discrimination called microaggressions, and research has shown that these small injustices can add up, and result in poorer mental health, lower self-esteem, and overall negative outcomes. That said, because of their implicit nature, we ALL are capable of microaggressing others at some point, whether we realize it or not. Participants in this workshop will talk about what microaggressions are, how they are connected to unconscious bias, what to do when we mess up and perpetuate a microaggression, and how to better engage microaggressions in the workplace, the classroom, and the world at large.