Microaggressions 101
Microaggressions are those subtle slights that occur daily for so many people from diverse communities, backgrounds, and identities. The slights can be so subtle that they are hard to identify or “prove”. Yet the affected people know they exist because of how these microaggressions make them feel. Microaggressions make people feel as if their identity is not welcome by others and that they are “outsiders” in the workplace and in Canadian society. Although these acts are not as noticeable to others in the same way that blatant “in your face” discrimination is, their cumulative effect can often be just as damaging to the target, and arguably more damaging.