Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions          

                Observing people around me at work this week with the intent of noticing microaggressions was interesting.     I honestly saw very little in terms of the interactions among my staff that could be categorized in that way until today.  I met with 3 supervisors to work on planning for the upcoming school year. In discussing placements, one of them made a comment about a family worker who is morbidly obese.  She complained about this person expecting others to do her work because she is so overweight and that she was just plain lazy.  She continued to insinuate that her obesity prevents her from doing what is required and that families wouldn’t want to work with her. Her comments were not founded. Finally, the other woman who  supervises the person that was the subject of the comments  spoke up and said many assumptions were being made about her job performance   that were not true .  I purposely did not comment initially.  I wanted to let the conversation continue to see where it would go and how many other things she would blame things she would blame on the woman’s obesity.   As I sat and listened, I realized that microaggressions can occur even among professionals.  It was not a good feeling to know that someone in a supervisory position could be so judgmental in such an inappropriate way. 

                My observation clearly pointed out that when there is insulting commentary based on a person’s appearance it can make everyone involved in the conversation very uncomfortable.  Taking it a step further, I observed a change in the interactions among the group even after the conversation moved on.  The body language of the supervisor who was listening to the derogatory comments about her staff person changed as did the amount of conversation being exchanged by the two.   Also, the supervisor whose staff person was the subject of the comments seemed to pull back from the conversation. This exercise has made me aware of how the tone of a group interaction can change when microaggression surfaces.

Other Perspectives on Diversity

                In seeking other perspectives on culture and diversity, I decided to be diverse in my choice of whom to interview!  The results were very interesting.  I spoke to my sister who is professional woman in her 50’s.  She works in the field of social work as a Family Therapist.  Her definitions of culture and diversity are as follows: “culture is the unique blend of traditions, rituals, customs, style, religion, belief systems, and family customs that encompass a particular group of people. Diversity involves the differences that make up the specific humanness of various cultures.”

                The second person I interviewed is a staff person in my Head Start Program who is a woman in her 40’s, bilingual and bicultural and originally from Puerto Rico. She defined culture and diversity as      “all the things you have learned from your family. It is how you think about things especially personal things.  It is about being Latino. It is what makes me different from some of the people I work with but more like many of the families I know from my work. Diversity is what I think about that makes us different.  It is what I see every day where I live and work.”

                The third person I interviewed was a male in his 30’s who works in special education. He defines culture and diversity as follows: “Culture involves whatever little subgroup you allow to define you. It could be your country of origin, the people you live with or whoever you spend your time with.  Diversity is a well-represented mix of cultures, ideas and customs in a certain defined area. “

In all answers, there was a common thread that culture is related to what we learn from our family throughout our lives. Some reference was in a more traditional sense while the third person seemed to be more open about what constitutes the group.  It includes our morals, traditions and is at the heart of who we are.   There were not any references to ethnicity from my sister or the male I interviewed.  My colleague on the other hand   made direct reference to being Latino.   

Reflecting on other people’s definitions has made me realize we sometimes make assumptions about people’s views on these topics even within our own families.   I also realized that age seems to be a factor in how we view things.  All very interesting……

My Family Culture

                What a thought provoking exercise!  As I pondered what I would take if I found myself faced with being evacuated from my home as described, the three things that came to mind were my Bible, a family photo album and a blank journal.  The Bible provides me with guidance through every aspect of my life.  Knowing myself, if I were faced with this predicament, I would be depressed and need encouragement to get through the situation. I would also need guidance.   I would find both of these things in my Bible.  I would take a family photo album so I could always be able to look at my family who is precious to me. The third thing I would take is a blank journal to write about my experiences   throughout the ordeal. 

                I would be extremely upset giving up any of the three items. My feelings would run the gamut of anger, extreme sadness and depression.  I would plead my case as to why they were so important to me and my need to keep them given the circumstances I was forced into.

                This exercise reinforced what I knew about myself going into it.  My faith is the foundation of my life no matter what the circumstance. Family is extremely important to me as well and as I have gotten older, I journal to keep a running record of the experiences I have.