Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions 

My personal experience with having witnessed microaggression was when I attended my cousin’s wedding.  She was marrying a second generation Japanese-American.  I was driving the more elderly members of the family to the church.  Our great-uncle, who had fought in the Korean War, was sitting in the backseat of the car.  As I pull up to the church, he exclaims, “Why are all these Japs here?!?”  I quickly explained who his niece was marrying, and that was why he was seeing so many Japanese people coming to the wedding.  I was embarrassed by his slight, but I had been raised around many family members who made ignorant remarks, so I knew to not internalize what was said.  I then silently prayed that there would be no more outbursts during the wedding ceremony or reception.  Luckily, my prayers were answered. 

In my observations this week, I perceived more of a level of frustration than discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes of people.  We are a Title I school, and several of are students are not getting the proper medical care that they deserve.  It may be because their parents cannot afford to take off work to get them to the doctor or that they do not have medical insurance to afford a trip to the doctor.  If this is the case, we try to find out without offending anyone, so that we can make a referral to the health clinic for them.