A Look at Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
A primer on the impact of implicit biases in schools and how they can be expressed by students and faculty.
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Like everybody else, I possess unconscious biases about people that are contingent on how they talk and look. Such instant judgments, called implicit bias, involve 鈥渁utomatically categorizing people according to cultural stereotypes,鈥� Sandra Graham and Brian Lowery write聽in 鈥�.鈥�
The consequences of implicit bias in schools are both powerful and measurable. A by Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, for example, found that 鈥渕ath teachers perceive their classes to be too difficult for Latino and black students, and English teachers perceive their classes to be too difficult for all non-white students.鈥� In English, these biases lower the affected students鈥櫬犫�渆xpected years of schooling by almost a third of a year.... The effect of being underestimated by math teachers is 鈭�0.20 GPA points.鈥�
Implicit bias also leads to inequitable punishments for students of color. A found that 鈥�17 percent, or one out of every six black schoolchildren enrolled in K鈥�12, were suspended at least once,鈥� compared with 鈥渙ne in 20 (5 percent) for whites.鈥� Black girls ages 5 to 14聽have been viewed by adults as 鈥渓ess innocent鈥� than white girls of the same age, which may be a factor in the disparity in suspension rates, according to a by Georgetown Law鈥檚 Center on Poverty and Inequality.
Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
Microaggressions are one outgrowth of implicit bias. Columbia University鈥檚 Derald Wing Sue defines this term as 鈥減rejudices that leak out in many interpersonal situations and decision points鈥�; they are experienced as 鈥渟lights, insults, indignities, and denigrating messages.鈥�
In a , Sue and six other researchers identified three categories of racial microaggressions:
- A microassault is a 鈥渧erbal or nonverbal attack meant to hurt the intended victim through name-calling, avoidant behavior, or purposeful discriminatory actions.鈥� Example: Students wear Confederate flag clothing.
- A microinsult is insensitive communication that demeans someone鈥檚 racial identity, signaling to people of color that 鈥渢heir contributions are unimportant.鈥� Example: A teacher corrects the grammar only of Hispanic children.
- A microinvalidation involves negating or ignoring the 鈥減sychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color.鈥� Example: An Asian American student from the U.S. is asked where she was born, which conveys the message that she is not really an American.
Over the years, the concept has been extended beyond race to include similar events and experiences of other marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, etc.
In schools,聽students report that are fairly common:
- 鈥淚n high school, boys in my math classes would look over my shoulder and unsolicited point out my errors with their pencils.鈥�
- 鈥淪ometimes I鈥檓 asked, 鈥榃hy are you so white?鈥� meaning that people with Arab names and heritage are supposed to be all dark-skinned, and I鈥檓 asked to justify my skin color and explain why I don鈥檛 match their racial stereotypes.鈥�
- 鈥淚鈥檝e been told, 鈥楪o back to Mexico!鈥� many times.鈥�
Other microaggressions include teachers being surprised by certain students鈥� achievements or holding tests on religious holidays, and peers imitating foreign accents or saying, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so gay,鈥� or 鈥淪he鈥檚 so bipolar.鈥�
Starting Important Conversations, and Keeping Them Going
Once during a faculty meeting, I witnessed an educator tell a white male colleague that he鈥檇 committed a microaggression. At the time, I didn鈥檛 know precisely what that meant. Nobody talked for a few uncomfortable seconds until someone changed the topic. Calling the man out in the moment was justified. After all, it鈥檚 everybody鈥檚 job to make diversity-sensitive norms explicit. But that moment was also a dialogue killer. Had there been previous conversations among the entire faculty about microaggressions, perhaps the entire incident could have been avoided.
Thoughtful conversations are also halted by whataboutism (鈥淲hy do they get to use racist words and we don鈥檛?鈥�), name-calling (鈥渟nowflakes,鈥� 鈥渢hought police鈥�), and the unfortunate formula 鈥渟trategic denial plus conjunction plus racist comment鈥� (鈥淚鈥檓 not racist, but...鈥�).
How do you have a meaningful classroom dialogue about microaggressions? The trick is to plan a conversation on this topic before microaggressions ignite tensions.聽Set , like 鈥渃ommit to learning, not debating,鈥� and then show as a prelude to discussing why they鈥檙e hurtful.
If these types of conversations feel too challenging to you, contact a nearby university鈥檚 office of diversity and inclusion and invite someone with expertise in sensitive topics to address the class. They鈥檒l model how to handle this discussion, so you can take the lead聽next time.
Resources to Counteract Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
There are a number of resources that can help K鈥�12 faculty and adolescent learners counteract implicit bias and avoid the perpetuation of microaggressions.
Videos: Watch and discuss Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann鈥檚 鈥溾�� and Ahsante the Artist鈥檚 鈥溾�� during the next faculty meeting.
Checklists: Read 鈥�,鈥� developed by the University of Denver, as well as Kevin Nadal鈥檚 list of .
Activities: Sign up for a seven-day bias cleanse that emails daily tasks to reorient your thoughts on race, gender, and anti-LGBTQIA bias. And try Harvard鈥檚 .
Readings: Check out multicultural texts suggested by the .
Norms: Learn about and establish classroom ground rules that promote inclusive language and behaviors.
Students and teachers are made of powerful feelings, but these feelings are not fixed and set in stone. Emotions can be identified, excavated, understood, and managed. And when we work through that process together, .