Dictionary definition of “microaggression”

microaggression

n. subtle forms of racism or bias. Subjects: English, Jargon

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Citations: 1970 Chester M. Pierce The Black Seventies “Offensive Mechanisms” p. 282 @ Journal of Negro Education (1976) LeRoi R. Ray, Jr. “Black Studies: A Discussion of Evaluation” vol. 45, no. 4, p. 391: Chester M. Pierce says that the society is unrelenting in teaching its white youth how to maximize the advantages of being on the offense toward Blacks. He further advances the notion that offensive mechanisms, “the small, continuous bombardments of micro-aggression by whites to blacks is the essential ingredient in race relations and race interactions.” 1992 USA Today (May 6) “Anti-violence public policies urged” p. 7D: Repeated “micro-aggression and micro-insults” wear down blacks, said Bell: When a white child and a black child enter a store, guards follow the black, when a black sits in first-class, flight attendants ask if he’s in the right place. 2001 Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic Critical Race Theory (May 1): Social scientists call the event a “microaggression,” by which they mean one of those many sudden, stunning, or dispiriting transactions that mar the days of women and folks of color. Like water dripping on sandstone, they can be thought of as small acts of racism.

Posted 22 Sep 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend