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A Useful But Imperfect Term
The term “microaggressions” was developed by Dr. Chester Pierce in the 1970s to describe some of the experiences he had experienced as a Black man. The daily slights, the daily underestimations. Not necessarily egregious behavior, but really subtle behavior that would compound and create challenge and lack of opportunity in the corporate workplace as well as in society.
The term “microaggressions” is powerful in helping people in dominant groups understand perhaps what these look like and identify them. What does it mean to face situations like having your name mispronounced all the time? People mistake you for the other person in the office who has the same racial identity as you or, as a woman, being underestimated for your coding or your technology skills. Or, for someone like me, who gets asked all the time, “How come you speak English so well like it’s your first language?”
One of the reasons why I don’t use “microaggressions” is because I find that these behaviors, or these acts that you face, do not have a micro impact on you. In fact, research shows it has a macro impact. My preference is that we understand what microaggressions look like. And then we stop using this term because then we recognize that, actually, they do not have a small or micro impact. It can compound and impact again your psychological well-being, your sense of self, your sense of belonging in a situation, again in society or in the workplace. But it also can have a huge impact on your career progress. Will you be selected for the leadership role if your white peers think that your name is weird? Or that your accent doesn’t conform to what’s professional — or the way you look, or the way you wear your hair, or the way that you dress isn’t “professional,” right? And that’s very much part of these exclusionary behaviors and a lot of what especially people of color, women, women of color face in the workplace.
A Simple But Impactful Act
For leaders who care about inclusion, about practicing inclusion in the moment, it means a lot to take time to get people’s names correct. If you don’t know how to pronounce someone’s name, it is much better for you to first ask, “How do I pronounce your name? How can I pronounce your name correctly?” These are ways that you can invite a conversation and make sure that you pronounce someone’s name correctly. One thing that I would safeguard against is either soldiering on with someone’s name, even if you’re unfamiliar with it, or asking them if there’s a short form or an easier pronunciation or a pronunciation that you’re more familiar with. That is something that is disrespectful and exclusionary.