An annoyed student walks away after being called “sexy” solely based on the fact that she is multi-ethnic. An Asian-American student rolls his eyes after being asked about his ethnic origin for the umpteenth time. A black student groans after being told, “You’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl.”
These comments reflect a form of racism: micro-aggressions.
Micro-aggressions are used to describe the subtle ways that racial, ethnic, gender and other stereotypes can traumatize students at a predominately white institution.
ASUO External Vice President Patrick Kindred talks about his own experiences with micro-aggressions as a black student on campus.
“People have asked me questions like, ‘Why do you talk so white?’ and ‘Do you play football here?’” Kindred said. “These comments make me feel like I’m always fighting against this box or fighting to get out of the box.”
He’s also experienced micro-aggressions with his current ASUO position.
“When I tell people that I’m the vice president, they would ask, ‘Oh really? For the Black Student Union?’” He said. “When I tell them I’m the vice president of the student body, they say, ‘Oh, you’re a real vice president.’”
Junior ethnic studies major Laura Mejia experiences harm within the university classroom when talking about sex and gender.
“I have an intersex condition, my genetics are different than a lot of cis-gendered women,” Mejia said. “It annoys me when people try to use chromosomes to determine a person’s identity.”
These comments made her struggle with her own identity.
“Hearing those comments made me feel not legitimate,” she said. “I was doubting whether or not I could call myself a woman.”
She learned to ignore these comments but still felt that students should be mindful of what they say.
“We need to be more aware of words and how they affect the people around you,” Mejia said.
Micro-aggressions are discussed on college campuses nationwide. This has prompted student organizers to build awareness around this issue.
Senior Justin McDaniels is among the organizers who organized the recent I, Too, Am OSU campaign in response to the racist incidents that happened during spring at Oregon State University.
“The university doesn’t offer places of support,” McDaniels said. “Micro-aggressions happen every day.”
To spark discussion on the issue, they organized two actions. One was held on March 7, attracting more than 200 people across campus to write on bright colored paper about their experiences with micro-aggressions. A solidarity march followed a week later which was composed of students, faculty, staff and community members.
Although the action is done, he hopes that people will continue the conversation.
“We received lots of positive feedback,” McDaniels said. “It was good to see that our efforts were utilized by people who needed it.”
Kindred also sees the need for more discussions on micro-aggressions. He hopes that his administration can help create a more culturally competent space. However, he feels that the conversation shouldn’t stop there.
“I hate to think that because we are a multi-faceted exec of color, now it’s expected for something to change,” Kindred said. “I would hope that anyone in office can continue to help change the campus climate.”