We All Know Miniorties Exist The U.s. And Are Part Of Everyones Daily Life?

I grew up in a white neighborhood and attended schools where the majority of kids were white. Growing up I considered myself very american and shied away from expressing my hispanic roots. Stories of illegal immigrants stamped all over the news. How immigrants, such as my father, do not belong in this country. In a nation where media is our biggest influence, it made it really easy to be ashamed of my heritage and to tuck it away.

I have read and fully understand the article Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: the Implications for Clinical Practice. However, I must admit the article does not sit well with me and I have learned I have been a microaggressor since my early days; specifically, I have offered microinsults many times over without even realizing it. Through the years, I have thought of myself as one who consciously believes in equal rights for “all”; not just the American people, but people of all races across the entire globe. Granted, I have never

There are five words I grew up hearing continuously spoken from the mouths of my parents “Don’t take things for granted.” Unlike what many of my black friends or just black people in general can say, I grew up with everything I could ever ask for and more. My parents don’t consider themselves wealthy; instead they prefer the word comfortable. My mother grew up in segregated schools, but she also grew up in desegregated schools, of which her experience she said wasn’t bad for her. In 5th grade when they first combined whites and blacks it was just her and this other black boy in class and the both of them together were mistaken for being white because of how light their skin was. My father on the other hand had it much worse than my mother segregated or not. The stories he speaks of still to this day

Microaggressions manifest in many ways such as, “You’re lucky that you're black”, “Don’t you wish you were white”, and “What are you”. These comments can be very insulting to a person. “Don’t you wish you were white” can be very insulting to an African American or Hispanic person. In other words, this example illustrates that the colored person is viewed down upon since they are not white. An African American is viewed down because they were slaves and since they are not white, whites are seen as rich and powerful. Sometimes a simple insult like, “You’re smart,” can offend a person without you knowing it. When someone says, “You’re smart,” people can start questioning themselves about their abilities and intelligence, but there is a way to respond.

This made me perceive myself as if I were subordinate or not enough, later on I found out that was not it; but for a while that was my battle. Daniel Munczek Edelman in his short academic journal also writes about the fear his mother had of him being different and not being able to speak the language (English), “My immigrant mother freaked out when I couldn't speak English at the beginning of nursery school.” (Edelman 59.40). His mother knew how hard it would be for him not knowing the language, how the difference of his culture would and could affect him. This article was written in two-thousand thirteen, it is a recent article proving that the differences in cultures are still relevant. His anecdote is essential because he gives background to what goes on in the differences of culture and examples of how culture has perceptions and how it can shape oneself. “My boss, half African-American and half white herself, jokingly called me "half-caste," insisting that I would one day admit that I wasn't totally white.” (Edelman 59.40) This justifies my point that the way we look does have an influence on the way others view “us”. Daniel Munczek Edelman’s boss did joke about his ethnicity because of the way he looked, he didn’t totally look like his other ethnicities and didn’t really involve himself

Growing up I did not have very many friends who were of color. I had one best friend who was half white and half Samoan. I did not think anything of her being different than me because we have known each other from birth. Color did not matter to us; we were best friends. Due to my lack of exposure to people of different races than what I was used to, I developed a picture in my head of what it meant to be white. To be white when I was a child meant you were well off and were not in danger. I always classified different races with danger because it is what I always saw on the news. That Is very embarrassing to say but it is true. I do not feel this way today because I have more experiences in life that have helped me make connections and change my view on people who are different from me. I do not want my children to think or feel the way I did when I was younger. I want to expose my students and children to different cultures and races. I want them to be comfortable being around anyone no matter what the color of their skin

Racial Microaggression can be lead back to our country's heinous history of slavery. One writer explains a situation when she was waiting to board the New York City subway, as the doors open a “young white male” exited the train wearing a shirt that said “If we had known it was going to be this much trouble, we would have picked the cotton ourselves.” The writer then says “As a young black woman, you can imagine my total offense to his shirt and the message he sent to anybody and everybody who could read.” Another writer explains how she who is of color and her mother who is white were at Target. Her mother was approached by a white male “as if I was trying to take something from her”. In addition to slavery many more common practices have

Ever since Obama was elected, many people believed racism was officially over. Many thought racism ended once the civil rights movement ended. Many believed that racism was long gone and that minorities now had equal opportunities to succeed in society. This is mostly true, but racism still exists in the form of microaggressions, a form of subconscious racism, that continues to make reaching success for minorities a lot more difficult. Micro-aggressions, or subconscious racism, are acts that seem small or accidental but end up doing lots of damage. For example, if an employer were to have two equally qualified employees, one white and one black, the negative stereotypes attached to the black race could potentially influence the employer's decision in favor of the white employee. The employer might be unaware of their micro-aggression but the damage would be catastrophic for the minority as they would be out of a job. In the lyric, Citizen, by Claudia Rankine, the narrator describes a series of interactions where micro-aggressions and subconscious racism happens to the narrator, and uses the pronoun “you” to include the reader in the event. I see myself in the position of being discriminated against because I am brown, but also sometimes being the bystander when I see racism.

Socially and Historically. For example during the year of 2012 when 17 year old Trayvon Martin was gun down and killed for the color his skin. He was visiting his father in Sanford Florida when he left the home on foot to buy a snack. As he was returning, George Zimerrman, a white Hispanic male and community neighborhood watch program coordinator, noticed him. In light of a recent break-in he called the police and reported a person acting suspicious. George Zimmerman followed the young teen and one thing led to another. It’s heart breaking knowing that racial profiling in our society could result in matter of life and death but it happens everyday. Another example is Segregation. Times were very hard for African Americans in the 1950’s. They were treated unfairly, and Jim Crows Laws made segregation legal. African Americans were segregated from society. They had to use restrooms for blacks only, water fountains for blacks only, and even schools for blacks only. Even hospitals had segregations. Picturing my life during this era makes me grateful for the life that I'm blessed to live now. I have the same goals and opportunities that any minority should have. Simultaneously Latin americans experienced almost the same treatment as the Indians did in Mexico. Their social status always seems to fall to the lowest. Latino American, those who are here illegally, are at the center of national debate about

best to hang onto my friends form my old school. Soon, it became harder and

The ideology of racial microaggressions has been around since the 1970s, you may not recognize any radicals, you think “I don’t hate black people, so I’m not racist”, still you benefit from discrimination. There are certain privileges and opportunities you have that you do not even realize since you have not been deprived in certain ways. Racial microaggressions are a category of perceived racism. They are more subtle and ambiguous than hostile or explicit languages of racism, such as racial discrimination (Rainey Lecture 2015). Microaggressions are daily verbal, visual, or environmental hostilities and mistreatment that occurs to individual’s culture, gender, and sexual orientation (Golash-Boza 2015). In America, I believe that racism still exists; it may not be as obvious as it may seem. Thus, it may even be more unintentional than it used to be, nevertheless; that is not an excuse to insult someone’s race or culture. I used to frequently get asked the question, “Where are you from?” and my answer would always be “I’m from Fullerton. I’m from California.” but they would always respond with “No, where are you really from?” As if I weren’t really from California. After reading the chapter I learned something called a microaggression.

Have you ever been in a situation where you witnessed an incident where someone was discriminated against for just being a part of a minority group? In most cases the majority of American’s have. In today's society, it is not uncommon to witness, overhear, or be a victim of microaggression. Microaggressions are defined as everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate slights or insults to a targeted group (e.g., racial minorities, women, and sexual minorities; Sue et al., 2007). Every human is different from each other in one way or another and this is what makes it possible to find yourself being discriminated for your race, sexual identity, sexuality, immigration status, and much more. Throughout this essay we

Latina/os encountered Exoticization and Assumptions of Similarity, where others assumed that because they were from a certain ethnic group, all members of that ethnic group acted the same. The authors concluded that perceived discrimination is a significant issue for young adults of color (Forrest-Bank & Jenson, 2015). The authors also highlight the extreme importance of designing prevention programs to help individuals who have experience with racial microaggressions and discrimination. Specifically, they recommend that these prevention programs should include education on examples of microaggressions and the adverse effects of

As I visited my old middle school Thursday night, and was talking to some of my friends,

I decided to go to a different school than all of my friends because I felt like I needed that separation to be able to really find myself and also prove to myself that I could survive without them. While I did struggle in the beginning, it was the right decision to be separated from them because it made me a stronger and more independent person.