Understanding Microaggression

The theme of this year’s Black History Month is ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’ – a tribute to the resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to progress that defines the Black community across the globe. This year, the theme highlights the profound contributions made by Black people be they leaders, activists, or pioneers who have shaped history, while also looking towards a future of continued empowerment, unity, and growth. So how can individuals and churches respond to these themes. How can we adapt and reflect on our own behaviours in our churches and as individuals, to model our Christian values of empowerment, unity and growth.

During Black History Month, Racial Justice Officer, Nadene Wright unpacks the term, ‘microaggression’ and gives some examples of how it’s often the small, casual, unintentional things we say or do that can have lasting impact on another’s mental health.

"A microaggression is often a subtle, unintentional comment, action or behavior that conveys a negative or derogatory message toward someone based on their identity. This can include race, gender, religion, sex and many other protected characteristics.

The prefix, “micro”, is used to demonstrate how subtle the comment or action could be and the fact that they occur frequently, oftentimes on a daily basis. They are normally portrayed in a casual way and can be brushed off by the individual who has received the comment.

However, over time with similar remarks, the individual receiving the comments will be affected and can often second guess themselves.

For example, saying to a Black British person of Caribbean descent, “Your English is so good!” This implies that even though the person was born in England, they do not actually belong there because of their skin tone.

You may ask a Black person if you can touch their hair which would count as a microaggression because you are treating them as exotic and different."

Here’s a fun animation which Nadene has made which illustrates the point!

"Microaggressions could even be aimed at those who are Christians, e.g. telling a Christian they are clever, because the association may be that they are unintelligent due to less reliance on scientific explanations for creation.

A microaggression is therefore a casual or small act that goes a long way and can really impact the individual who experiences them on a daily basis. Studies have shown that mental health can be severely affected by microaggressions. So if you fancy reaching out to stroke someone’s braids or curly afro, maybe think twice beforehand!" 

Nadene Wright

Racial Justice Officer

Email: Nadene.wright@chester.anglican.org

As Racial Justice Officer, Nadene works with schools and churches to help them talk about issues of identity and race. She is responsible for promoting racial equality, addressing discrimination, and fostering inclusivity within the church and its communities. The role involves advocacy, education, and policy development to ensure that racial justice is embedded in the culture of diocesan life.

Contact Nadene if you’d like to invite her to your church to support your advocates for marginalised voices within churches, communities and schools across the Diocese.