Microaggressions are behaviours meant to demean people.
Learning
“We fill the season with the smell of summer,” I wrote in the worship documents. Someone at the meeting corrected me: “It should be the smells of summer. We usually write ‘smells’ instead of ‘smell.’”
The word “we” referred to White Canadians. As a Hong Kong Canadian, I always experience racial microaggressions. What’s the problem with using the word “smell” instead of “smells”? It ended up that all the rest of the attendees agreed with my word choice. However, the interruption of pointing out minor “errors”—and most of the time they were not even errors—would make conversations very uncomfortable. They could be categorized as a kind of racial microaggression, an act meant to demean minoritized people by editing or revising their work.
A racialized or ethnocultural face or last name may influence or predispose others to react to and think about people differently. If you happen to be one of the Canadians who identifies as an ethnocultural minority, you have probably experienced linguistic bias. Someone would say to me, for example, “It is because the intonation in Cantonese is very different from English. When you speak in English, the high-pitched sounds are harder to hear, especially for people who need a hearing aid.”
In predominantly White communities, biases are often unconscious. Racial profiling is based on stereotypical assumptions due to someone’s race, colour, and ethnicity. While overt racism is usually easier to notice, microaggressions are in the languages, expectations, and communities. To combat microaggressions, it is important to directly express your values and disapprove of what is being said . Be bold in speaking out and letting people know that you do not agree with them. This may directly stop the microaggressions from continuing.
Faith Reflection
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”
—Matthew 7:1‒4
God has made all people in God’s image. As the image bearers of God, we are all the same yet so different. Everyone might look, sound, and act uniquely, but on the inside, we are all people loved by God.
Jesus teaches us not to judge others based on how they live or what they wear. How many times do we judge others without realizing it? How do we take the log out of our eyes and be aware of our implicit racial bias?
Prayer for healing racial bias
Gracious God, we pray for the strength not to judge others before judging ourselves. As racial microaggression is real and happening in our daily lives, we pray for those who have been hurt would not be invisible or silenced.
May God guide them to tell the truth and strive for justice by addressing the biases and engaging in dialogues and reflections.
We pray for those exhibiting microaggressive behaviours to take some time for self-reflection. To ask themselves whether they have acknowledged other people’s feelings and explore another person’s perspective.
Teach us to be aware of our prejudices, as arrogance can make us believe that we are superior to others and can act as judges over them.
We are grateful for your love, the love for our friends and family, and for every race and background. We ask for precious gifts to show us who we really are and encourage our connection with others. May the Spirit be with us and grant us peace and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Living It Out
Put anti-racism into action and address the issue of racial microaggressions in your community of faith.
- Develop a workshop to raise awareness of racism and microaggressions.
- Address racism directly on your intercultural Sunday or another appropriate day.
- Create anti-racism messages to share on your faith community’s Facebook page or other social media. Consider including videos that speak to young people. You might develop a campaign around anti-racism that you run throughout a year or season.
- Consider other ways you could create a culture of care for all people.
—Mini Choi (she/her) is the Christian Development Minister at Thornhill United Church. She completed the Testamur prescribed by The United Church of Canada for ordination to the Christian church at Vancouver School of Theology. She is a candidate for ordained ministry in The United Church of Canada. With a long career in broadcasting, Mini is an experienced public speaker. She has been preaching for 12 congregations of different denominations and giving public lectures and webinars for universities, including UBC and the University of Hong Kong. Apart from her experience in ministry, Mini is an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, videography, and lyric writing. She has curated more than 100 exhibitions and integrates theology with her creative practice. She has published five books and composed over 300 songs. She directed, co-directed, and produced films, music videos, television shows, commercials, and documentaries. Mini’s works reflect her research in theological studies.