Page 91 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

CHAPTER FOUR

The Microaggression

Process Model:

From Beginning to End

In many respects, I was naive, but now I ’ m cynical . . . . When I took my science
courses, I had to fight every day through all the racism I felt . . . . Each time I took

a new class, the same thing happened over and over and over and over again.
Many times I was the only African American in the class. [The White students
and professor] were like, “ You know what, I don ’ t think she knows what she ’ s

talking about, ” or . . . “ Well, you got here because of affirmative action, not your

grades or your merit. ” And when you try and voice something to somebody,
they don ’ t want to hear it. They ’ re not about to hear it! And they ’ re like, “ Well,
you need to be alone with your other peers. ” I ’ m upset. I ’ m tired of it. That ’ s why
I changed my major to English. ” (Sol ó rzano, Ceja, & Yosso, 2000, p. 64)
I [White woman] was at my desk and I saw the boss [male] going around our
cubicle introducing a new male coworker to each member of the team. He would
spend a few minutes with each worker. When he got to me, the boss introduced
me as “ Jenny ” and I ’ m “ Jeannie. ” Worse yet, he said I had been there about a
year, and I ’ ve been with the firm for nearly three years! Come on, what does it

take to be noticed. The new worker shook my hand, but instead of looking at me,
kept looking at my breasts and I thought “ Jeez, another one. I ’ m only a boob to
them. ”
Hiding was so exhausting. I always had to watch myself. I always had to make
sure that I was not acting too butch or dressing too much like a dyke. I always
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