Presenter (CSU Fort Collins):
Naomi Nishi

In this interactive session, we will discuss the research on microaggressions, including those in psychology and higher education. We will define microaggressions as working in one direction to harm people with marginalized identities (Solórzano et al., 2000). Our definition will follow the scholarly literature to focus on the impact of microaggressions rather than the intent. We will review types of microaggressions, including those identified by Sue, et al., (2007) referred to as micro assaults, microinsults, and microinvalidations. We will also discuss another category of stealth microaggressions (Nishi, 2021). Participants will learn about the different categories of microaggressions and how they impact and harm people with marginalized identities. The facilitator will lead participants in an exercise to apply this learning to different scenarios. We will conclude the session with a discussion around responding, intervening, and supporting people harmed by microaggressions, and give participants suggested language that can begin to alleviate harm done rather than harm further.