Prevention and Intervention Strategies with Racial Microaggressions

Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages toward marginalized groups and minorities, including but not limited to race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender. This course will examine racial microaggressions and their impact on the delivery of human services with a focus on prevention and intervention strategies. Participants will define and identify racial microaggressions and their impact on client systems and on the professional relationship. Attention will be given to the cultural context in terms of the way racial microaggressions are experienced and dilemmas about how to respond. The effect of power differentials on the interpretation of racial microaggressions will be examined. Using an African-centered perspective, the course will be knowledge-, skills-, and values-based.