Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 

“Microaggressions are brief everyday indignities that are verbal, behavioral or environmental, that they may be intentional or unintentionally communicated to women, to people of color, to gay/lesbians that have an insulting message behind them that often time causes severe psychological distress and harm”.

 

Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

My most recent experience with microagression happened shortly after I started in my new  in position, in October, as Community & Parent Outreach Coordinator with a major school district. I was at a monthly team meeting and one of my co-workers organized, ironically what was suppose be an ice breaker meant to build relationships among co-workers. We were asked to pretend that we were going to a secluded island and could only bring three items with us. These items could be anything including a book, but not the bible. As a Christian I immediately was offended that the bible was singled out of all other religious texts. Moreover, I could not help but to question my colleague’s motives for signaling out the bible given she knew that I, along with three other co-workers identify ourselves as Christians. When I asked her way we couldn’t bring the bible she simply stated that it was the “rule of the game” and that if I chose not to abide by the rule I could not play.” Needless to say, I was flabbergasted and deeply offended! What was a microagression turned into a micoassult!

In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.

After my experience I felt compelled to take this matter up with upper-management (mind you, my direct supervisor was sitting right next to me when this incident of micoagression happened and his slience communicated that he condone my colleagues behavior) needless to say I got no where.  What I learned is using forms of a are a cultural norm, at lest at I my place of work.  I think that because such behavior has been able to go unchecked, many people are simply numb or unaware of the impact such forms of microagression can have on a persons self-esteem.  Forunately, I am a seasoned Christian and was able to extend forgiveness for the offense to my colleague as well as the agency over all.  That said,  my concern isn’t necessary for myself but those who may encouter such aggressions and begin to internalize them.   It really is daunting to me that we still live in a day and age where people can be so culturally insensitive!

Reference

Laureate Education ( Producer).  (2011) Microagression in eveyday life [Viedo File] Retrieved from https://class.walden.edu

 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Rosa Inuwa is my 65  year old mother, who issouthern born and currently lives in the northest part of the US.

When I asked her to define culture she said, “culture to me means different ethnicities that have their own way of living.”   “It consist of where people choose to live, foods they like and even the decor found in their homes.”

As it relates to diversity, she articulated that diversify simply meant “differences in background, ie. walks of life, race and class.”  She further noted that “diversity isn’t suppose to be a bad thing; it just means that people are different and thus bring something different to the table of life.”

Taiye Oladapo, is my twin sister born in the south and now resides in the northeast part of the US with our mother.

When I ask her to define culture she said,  “culture is the collection of social norms and practices along with celebrations of any given group or people .”

Diversity for her is when there is a mixture of different enthices and produces a multicultural mix. It can include a lot of different elements but primarily its a combination of cultures co-existing and mixing with one another.

Mathias Uvieghara is my beloved husband who is Nigerian and currently lives in Maryland with his lovely wife, me! lol

 When  I asked him to define culture he said, culture encompass a persons belief system, how they approach life and others.” “its something you can’t see all the time until you encounter it.”  “Diverisy is the sum total of various cultures; its a melting pot of ideas, perspectives and when harnessed correctly can be a tremendous resource.” 

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

I think I see pieces of the defintion I studied this week in all of the answers given.  For example,  I learned from this week’s reading, that culture is a set of  often unconscious rules that govern everything we do.   I think my interviees articulated this understanding in more or less terms in their definitions. 

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

 Gonzalez-Mena defines culture like that of an iceberg, only the tip is shown, but below lives the “deep” culture of an individual and or family. This “deep’ culture, according to Gonzalez-Mena, is a set of unconscious rules that governs everything we do and even spills over to what we believe children need and who they should become (Laureate Education, 2011).    I think the piece that my interviewees left out was this piece of “deep culture’;” those attributes that extend past the commonly understood notions of culture.  I am not sure if they are aware that what they described in their definitions is surface culture.

References

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in Early Care and Education (5th ed., pp. 8–13).

 Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

 

 

My Family Culture

  

         Upon reading the scenario of an incident so profound that it changes the infrastructure of my country to the point that I am compelled to leave is chilling to say the least. I can’t help but think of the Christians in Iraq with whom I socially identify, and their current suffering for which this scenario is very real for them. As an American, which is another social identity that I embrace, it’s very difficult for me to grasp such a scenario ever happening here, given the safety from such catastrophes we have enjoyed as a nation for as long as I can remember.   Nonetheless, the events of 9/11 and the current climate of Muslim extremist plotting to convert the world or kill everyone who refuses, makes such a catastrophe no longer far-fetched!  

      When reflecting on the three items that I would bring, they would be items that are symbolic of the things I hold most dear to me. As a Christian, the first thing I would bring is my beloved Bible.   If I had to describe this item, I would say that it my compass for life. When everything around me seems to be falling apart and the world lay waist deep in wars, rumors of wars, famine and disease, the bible is the thing I look to for peace of mind and strength. It’s my dearest cultural artifact if you will. The second item would be a picture of my family. I value family above everything, but that of my Christian faith. For me, family is a tremendous source of joy and happiness for me. I am sure in this catastrophe some of my family members may have gone missing, and this picture, I believe would provide a significant source of solace and hope that I will one day be reunited with them.

    The last item I would bring may be out of the ordinary, but after some thought I decided it would be a baby picture of my twin sister and I. My twin sister is my best friend, but don’t tell my husband that! Lol I would bring this item because it literally is the only picture I have of my sister and me as children! That’s right. To my mom’s heartbreak, she lost all of her children’s photos when the women of the house she had stored them died and the daughter of this women promptly throw them out in the trash!

       If I had to give up one of these items upon arriving to my new host country I imagine that I would be beside myself with grief. I am a very sentimental person, and such artifacts hold so much meaning for me. That being said, although it would be difficult to give up two items, I know instinctively which two I would give up. The item I would keep would be the item that meant the most to me, culturally speaking, and that would be my Bible. I know that some might gawk at this choice; placing more value on the family photos. I have come to learn that this difference in preference is in large part due to culture. Culture as define by Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) is as follows:

 The word culture refers to how particular groups of people live. It is the way we eat, sleep, talk, play, care for the sick, relate to one another, think about work, arrange our kitchens, and remember our dead. It includes the language we speak, the religion or spirituality we practice (or do not), and the clothing, housing, food, and rituals/holidays with which we feel most comfortable.

With that said, I think that this is a the biggest lesson I am taking with me from this week’s exercise and that is that every person exist within in a context of a culture; that is is my responsibility to move passed surface culture to discover the deeper culture of families. And just like I would want others to respect my cultural norms and values, I too must respect the various cultures of that of the children in my care.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).