Modern-Day Racism in the Workplace
Racial Discrimination, or in simpler terms, racism, is widely known as a disagreeable and
generally frowned upon action. Racism is still a prevalent social problem today, as many can
agree, but what does it more commonly look like today? In the example of racism in the
workplace is still a relevant concern, but it is no longer as evident as it once was. As the National
Library of Medicine states, “... the term microaggression was first coined in 1978 by Chester M.
Pierce to describe a phenomenon of subtle negative exchanges directed toward African
Americans”. Now, the term has a much broader definition than initially coined, and it now
applies to other races, cultures, sexual orientations, and many other points of Discrimination. A
definition of racial microaggressions that aligns with the general definition of microaggression is
described by Colorado State University as “the 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.” (Nishi, 2022) Racial
Microaggressions are a form of Racial Discrimination that is more prevalent than the older, more
aggressive forms of racism. In the workplace, this is the most used form of racism since it
sometimes goes without recognition or understanding of its issue in the workplace. The theorists
Iain A. Smith and Amanda Griffiths, Avihv Shoshana, Ashishikumar K. Parikh and Jessica R.
Lesheid, and Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby and Norris W. Gunby each dive deeper into racial
microaggressions and what it looks like in the modern day workplace and the effects of it.
Theorists Iaian A. Smith and Amanda Griffiths emphasize the need to address and
recognize the issue of microaggressions in the workplace instead of ignoring the effect it has on
the employees and the company. Smith and Griffith wrote the article to inform and warn HR
departments and researchers of workplace functions of how much damage microaggressions can
have in the workplace, the harm it has on employees of color, and the ripple effect it has on the
company. Throughout the article, Smith and Griffith use the term “subtle slight” instead of
microaggression because they recognize the controversy that comes with the word because of the
social climate. Smith and Griffith felt that the term microaggressions had an ironic and
oxymoronic spin of the two words. The terms being “micro” and “aggression,” they felt that it
not only did not do justice to the pain felt by their receivers but also felt that there was not
enough research on “how employers and employees in many contexts understand and react to
these terms.” (Smith & Griffiths, 2022) They use the term subtle slights for “a range of
ambiguous negative interactions between people. Subtle slights may seem innocuous, yet they
can harm people who experience them.” (Smith & Griffiths, 2022) Shown in the workplace as
inappropriate comments or questions said in the workplace or a work style setting. The formal
definition of microaggression is coined by the creator Derald Wing Sue as “brief, everyday
exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color because they belong to a racial
minority group.” (Smith & Griffiths, 2022) Smith and Griffiths focus on the repercussions of the
subtle slights in the workplace as “harming the person experiencing a slight through a violation
of expected treatment or social norms.” (Smith & Griffiths, 2022) They believed that “subtle
slights” come from the stereotypes of cultures and the norms we expect them to follow. An
example Smith and Griffiths believe is an accurate depiction of “subtle slights” as “clutching
your bag closer on seeing a young Black man approach on the street.” These are some of the
most common verbal subtle slights, and they often time stem from stereotypes of a culture and
someone speaking on their perception of that culture. Smith and Griffiths want those who handle
racial problems in workplaces and those who analyze workplace discrimination to understand the
adverse side effects of “subtle slights fully” and aim to prevent them by addressing them
correctly.
Contrary to Smith and Griffiths, Avihu Shoshana defines 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 to the
target person or group” (Shoshana, 2015) Instead of focusing more on the prevention and
identification of microaggressions in the workplace they aim to eradicate them. Even the
examples Shoshana used in the article employ more culturally specific examples of
microaggression. She refers to how the Jews in Palestine give their co-workers derogatory names
such as “Arabs.” Shoshana identifies sayings such as (Shoshana, 2015) “I do not see color” or “I
do not think of you as Mexican” as microaggressions. Shoshana focuses on the treatment of
Arabic every day, specifically in the workplace. Comments such as (Shoshana, 2015) “Arab
work” “Arab taste” and “She was dressed like an Arab woman” are used in a derogatory fashion
to uphold the stereotypes that the Jews have for Arabic people. These stereotypes are the driving
force of their racist misconceptions of Arabic people in Israel. Even outside the workplace, they
are not excluded from these sayings; it is a common way of thinking, and people struggle to
recognize their racist thought process. To Shoshana’s understanding and research, these
microaggressions are causing deep distress and disrespect to the Arabs who are on the receiving
end of these comments. Like Smith and Griffiths, Shoshana urges its readers to understand the
disrespect, discomfort, and distress these comments have on the receiver’s morale and selfesteem and how it affects their ability to work.
Similar to Shoshana, Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby1 and Norris W. Gunby Jr. address
microaggressions through the implications of it in one specific culture and what that appears to
be. Gunby and Gunby use the same base definition of microaggressions that Shoshana uses,
which is a “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities,
whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial
slights and insults to the target person or group. “(Shoshana, 2015) But contrary to Shoshana,
they add on the description of “subtle snubs or dismissive looks, gestures, and tones” (DeCuirGunby & Gunby, 2016) to fully include the full scope of what a microaggression can look like
according to Gunby and Gunby. Statements such as “You are so well spoken and articulate.”
(DeCuir-Gunby & Gunby, 2016) said to an Black man by an White woman, implies that the
speaker is shocked that the receiver is so “well spoken” and should be proud of their ability to
articulate themselves, because of the stereotype that black males commonly lack that skill.
According to Gunby and Gunby, these statements are often rooted in white superiority and
further fuel the public notion that African Americans are behind in some way, shape, or form.
Gunby and Gunby further explain how this mentality can negatively impact “the degree to which
workers are satisfied with their employment” (DeCuir-Gunby & Gunby, 2016) because often an
additional aspect of the impact these ideals impact the workplace is “Dissatisfaction with
workplace attributes has been associated with “treatment discrimination” where African
Americans may receive fewer rewards, resources, or opportunities on the job than they
legitimately deserve based on job-related criteria.” (DeCuir-Gunby & Gunby, 2016) The
“dissatisfaction” many African Americans often feel in the workplace partially affects the lack of
widespread recognition of their work while their co-workers receive such credit. The culture
cultivated within the workplace is created by its employees and management through their
statements and decisions. Gunby and Gunby believe that the microaggressions build upon the
workplace culture that encourages comments that belittle and fail to recognize those receiving
these statements, creating job dissatisfaction in African-American communities within the
workplace.
Contrary to the other theorists understanding of racial microaggressions, Ashishikumar
K. Parikh and Jessica R. Lesheid understand microaggressions to be (Parikh & Leschied, 2022)
“subtle snub or informal degradation of a member of any socially marginalized group including,
but not limited to, women, LGBTQIA+ people, underrepresented minorities, persons with a
disability, and people living in poverty.” (Parikh & Leschied, 2022) The definition applies to a
much broader audience than in the past because it included so many more undefined but
generally disagreeable. Contrary to the other theorists, Parikh and Lesheid focus on preventing
and responding to microaggressions in the workplace, not just racial ones. An example of
microaggression in their terms is “You are not our usual radiology applicant.” – a resident
interview comment.” (Parikh & Leschied, 2022) The example shows what they think racial
micro-aggressions look like in the workplace by considering what an actual case of it appears to
be. Parikh and Lesheid believe that these sayings have adverse side effects on the receiver in
practice and, with that in consideration, should be addressed and prevented from happening in
the workplace by changing the company culture. To avoid these statements and ideals from
continuing to grow, Parikh and Lesheid believe that it must first be recognized as an issue in the
company and with its employees that needs to be corrected because of the detrimental
repercussions it can have on the receiver. Parikh and Lesheid go into greater detail about
methods as “Disarming the microaggression serves to quickly deflect or disapprove of the
behavior” (Parikh & Leschied, 2022) in their article. Their advised practices serve to prevent and
derail racial ( and other) microaggressions within the workplace. Parikh and Lesheid believe that
the negative consequences of racial (and other) microaggressions can be avoided through
changing company culture, open discussions, and altering company acceptance.
Racial Discrimination is still a prevalent problem in the modern-day workplace, and
while it may not look the same as it did in the 20th century, it still exists. The theorist Iain A.
Smith and Amanda Griffiths, Avihv Shoshana, Ashishikumar K. Parikh and Jessica R. Lesheid,
and Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby and Norris W. Gunby each believe racial microaggressions are the
form that racial Discrimination takes in the workplace. Each theorist understands racial
microaggressions in different ways, from Shoshana’s shared understanding of racial
microaggressions in the workplace to the general definition of “subtle snub or informal
degradation of a member of any socially marginalized group …” to Smith and Griffith’s distaste
of the term racial microaggressions and using the term subtle slights. Despite their different
definitions and understanding of racial microaggressions, they all agree that it has detrimental
effects in the workplace. The theorists Parikh and Leschied even offer ways to combat their use
in the workplace. The common thread that runs through them all is that the negative effects of
racial microaggressions in the workplace culture are not worth its effect on those on the
receiving end. The theorist defined and gave examples of racial microaggressions to stress that it
starts with employees and the culture before anyone else. Now that they have a definition of it
and what it looks like in the workplace, they are expected no
they are aware of it.
References and Bibliography:
required to take action now that
DeCuir-Gunby, J. T., & Gunby, N. W. (2016). Racial Microaggressions in the
Workplace. Urban Education, 51(4), 390–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916628610
Harrison, C., & Tanner, K. D. (2018). Language Matters: Considering Microaggressions
in Science. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 17(1), fe4. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-01-0011
Nishi, N. (2022, March 7). Understanding racial microaggressions. Colostate.edu.
https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/understanding-racial-microaggressions/
Parikh, A. K., & Leschied, J. R. (2022). Microaggressions in our daily workplace
encounters: a barrier to achieving diversity and inclusion. Pediatric Radiology.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-022-05307-9
Shoshana, A. (2015). The language of everyday racism and microaggression in the
workplace: Palestinian professionals in Israel. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 39(6), 1052–1069.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2015.1081965
Smith, I. A., & Griffiths, A. (2022). Microaggressions, Everyday Discrimination,
Workplace Incivilities, and Other Subtle Slights at Work: A Meta-Synthesis. Human Resource
Development Review, 21(3), 153448432210987. https://doi.org/10.1177/15344843221098756