Page 268 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

242 microaggressive impact on education and teaching

RACIAL DIALOGUES IN THE CLASSROOM

The increasing diversity in the United States is perhaps reflected most in our

classrooms, where students of all colors represent a microcosm of race rela-
tions in our society. The increased interracial interactions often means greater
opportunities for microaggressions to occur between students of color and
their White classmates, between professors and their students, and in exposure
to biased curricular topics and orientations. In a revealing study (Sue, Lin, et al.,
2009), researchers found that these interactions often polarized students and
teachers rather than contribute to mutual respect and understanding about
race and race relations.
Many educators believe that effectively facilitating difficult dialogues on

race in the classroom represents a golden opportunity to reduce and dispel
prejudice and stereotypes, bridge ethnic divides, decrease mistrust and
misunderstandings, increase empathy and compassion for others, and promote
goodwill and understanding (President ’ s Initiative on Race, 1998; Willow, 2008;
Young, 2004). Unfortunately, racial dialogues in classrooms have frequently
produced directly the opposite effect. They have resulted in disastrous conse-
quences such as hardening of biases and prejudices; evoking strong feelings
of anger, hostility, and rage; increasing misunderstanding; and blocking learn-
ing opportunities (Sue, Lin, et al., 2009; Sue, Rivera, et al., 2009). Yet, skillfully

handled by enlightened teachers, difficult dialogues on race can prove to be an
opportunity for growth, improved communication, and learning (Young, 2003;
Sanchez - Hucles, & Jones, 2005).
Given the potential educational importance of being able to effectively

facilitate difficult dialogues on race, the following questions may be imperative

for educators to address: (1) What triggers (causes) a difficult dialogue on
race? (2) Why is it so difficult for us to honestly dialogue about race, gender,

and sexual orientation? (3) What makes a dialogue on race difficult? (4) Why

do students and teachers alike become so guarded and uncomfortable when
racial topics are raised in and outside of the classroom? (5) How can educators
learn to become comfortable when addressing race issues, and what effective
strategies can be used to facilitate a diffi cult dialogue?

Microaggressive Triggers to Difficult Racial Dialogues
Studies seem to suggest strongly that many difficult dialogues on race are

caused by racial microaggressions that make their appearance in the classroom

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