“Microaggressions are small, subtle forms of discrimination — but they’re not too small to matter,” write the editors at Everyday Feminism  — the same people who created the course on Healing From Toxic Whiteness.

The editors contend that “marginalized people are affected by microaggressions every day,” and that these microaggressions “ can make college difficult for students with marginalized identities.” The editors recently published a comic strip drawn by Christine Deneweth, titled, “6 Subtle Microaggressions That Show Up in College — And Their Simple Solutions.”

The comic strip begins by saying “microaggressions are different because they attack the identity of marginalized people” and that these microaggressions can “be subtle, but that’s all the more reason to point them out.”

The comic-strip, which seems to be directed at college students, says “you deserve to be comfortable and safe.” The fact that microaggressions can make some students ‘unsafe,’ is a cause for concern for Deneweth, who then sketches out depictions of 6 microaggressions and “what should happen” instead.

For example, a professor who tells their students “Everyone needs to turn this assignment in on Monday” is committing a microaggression, according to Deneweth.

The writers for Everyday Feminism subscribe to a form of “intersectional feminism,” and tasks that require effort can be marginalizing to women with mental or physical disabilities.

Thus, instead of giving students strict due dates, Deneweth has a better idea. Professors should say, “The assignment is due Monday. If you need accommodations, see me and we can work something out.”

Another example of a microaggression is telling a student to read aloud to the class, as often happens in English classes. Instead, Deneweth argues professors should ask, “would anyone like to volunteer to read to the class?”

Accidently pronouncing a student’s name wrong is also verboten, according to Deneweth. So too, is asking a student with a difficult name: “can I call you something else?”

My last name is Airaksinen. Growing up, none of my teachers could pronounce my last name. Even I can’t properly pronounce my own last name, if I attempt to follow Finnish pronunciation rules. Am I committing a microaggression when I introduce myself, I wonder?

Other microaggressions that Deneweth notes include professors writing too fast, asking students to buy textbooks, and asking students to sign up for oral presentations.

College is rife with “ableism, classism, and other forms of oppression,” the editors of Everyday Feminism write.

The good news, they say, is that “once we learn to recognize these [microaggressions], we can help make some changes.”

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