One example of microaggression that I remember is when my sister came home from school one day and said that her teacher stated that she was really intelligent for a black girl. My sister was very angry at this statement. I remember hearing her rant and rave about the comment and how backwards and ignorant it was. That was the first incidence that I can remember being exposed to racial undertones. This made me more aware of the people around me. I started to pay more attention to the way people said things and how their words impacted me. I wanted to better understand how people thought about others. I found myself becoming more uncomfortable around certain people than I had been before. In my mind, I connected what the one teacher said to every person of that race. It is something that is hard to get over, especially when you see signs of racial profiling, racial exclusion and stereotyping.
As I watched my family interact and enjoy each other's company this week, it struck me how my family comes together. No matter what we may say about each other, when there is a family event, there are no issues, no arguing, and no problems. This made me wonder where I get my perceptions on race and religion. I try not to stereotype people, but I do stereotype behavior.
I can relate to be calling the little black girl in my neighborhood. This made me stronger and made me become the person I am today because I knew that I had to more than just a black girl.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising how we pick up on things once we begin to pay attention. Once I started dating outside of my race, I began to notice things I never knew existed. That was horrible for that teacher to say that to your sister.
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