Respect Guidelines
 Please be considerate of all people’s emotions and
feelings during the presentation.
 Assume good will and good intentions from each
individual who participates in discussions or activities.
 Don’t be afraid to use “oops” and “ouch” when
applicable
Anticipated Outcomes
 To be aware of the social impact of racism and racial
microaggressions
 Deepening the group’s understanding of the effects of
institutional racism
 Racism is an issue in all contexts, big or small. (i.e.
“Death by a thousand papercuts”)
Racism
 Racism is a complex system of beliefs and behaviors,
grounded in a presumed superiority of the white race.
These beliefs and behaviors are conscious and
unconscious; personal and institutional, and result in
the oppression of people of color and benefit the
dominant group, whites. A simpler definition is racial
prejudice + power = racism
Racial Microaggressions
 Racial microaggressions are “subtle, stunning, often
automatic, and non-verbal exchanges which are ‘put
downs’.” Racial microaggressions have also been
described as “subtle insults (verbal, nonverbal, and/or
visual) directed toward people of color, often
automatically or unconsciously.” Simply stated,
microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that
send denigrating messages to people of color because
they belong to a racial minority group.
Privilege
 Privilege is a right that only some people have access or
availability to because of their social group
memberships (dominance). Because hierarchies of
privilege exist, even within the same group, people who
are part of the group in power often deny they have
privilege even when evidence of differential benefit is
obvious.
Activity
 Please gather and form a straight line. We will read off
a series of statements and questions and after each
statement or question, if you believe that it applies to
you and/or you have experienced this statement or
question, move forward one step. If you feel
uncomfortable at any time, feel free to acknowledge
the statement without moving forward or step out of
the activity.
#1
 “You speak good English”
#2
 “I’m not racist, I have many black friends”
#3
 “Do you think you’re ready to go to college?”
#4
 “What sport do you play here?”
#5
 “Everyone can achieve the American Dream in this
society if they work hard enough”
#6
 “That’s for YOU people”
#7
 “Do you live with both of your parents?” or “Is your
father/mother in your life?”
#8
 “Can you clean this up for me?”
#9
 “Are you going to pay for that?”
#10
 “You’re just playing the race card.”
#11
 “That’s just your culture, that’s not how we do that
here.”
#12
 “What country are you from?”
#13
 How did you get your hair like that?
#14
 “When I see you I don’t see color.”
#15
 “Can you share with the class more about what it
means to be (race/ethnicity)?”
Position
 Take a moment to reflect on your own position in
relation to the rest of the group
Reflection
 During the activity, what were some of the emotions
that came up while the statements were being read?
 Which statements in particular stood out from the rest?
 How can we use this knowledge of racial
microaggressions to become an ally in our
communities?