“How might I know when I'm about to engage in a microaggression so that I can stop myself before I do it?”

Equity Doula:

This is the question of the hour! Not an easy one to answer but let’s dive in! This is the work of the heart! Empathy is the key. To not engage in microaggressions requires us to be fully present and conscious of what we're saying. Unfortunately, this is not the way in which our society functions right now.

We are so connected to social media and instant responses that we often do not take the time to think about what we say before we say it. We are also working against unconscious biases which makes this difficult because it's unconscious. Microaggressions exist because of the different realities in which we live. The cultural majority does not understand the plight and living conditions of this country’s minority groups. Although we live in the same spaces our reality is wildly different! Until we can have the conversation about why we have these different realities a.k.a. structural racism and how the US was founded then this work falls on the shoulders of individuals.

Having more open conversations is definitely a great step forward! To help flush this out let's take a look at one of the most common microaggressions and what we can do or say instead! Check out our weekly Microaggression breakdown!