Common Micro aggressions: African Americans and/or Black People
Anonymous asked: What are some common micro-aggressions that a black american will regularly have to deal with?
Behold! This masterpost of common micro-aggressions towards African Americans and/or people in the African Diaspora.
Micro-aggressions are the âlittleâ incidents of racism that may not be so obviously racist, but come from a place of ignorance or stereotyped views
Micro-aggressions can be perpetuated by White people as well as fellow Black people and People of Color.
Several of these may be applicable to other People of Color.
We (Black mods writing this) live in different Westernized countries & have personally experienced every one of these or know someone who has.
For a fuller understanding of micro aggressions and the affects it has on individuals overtime, please see this: âThese incidents may appear smallâŠâ
Use of microaggressions in writing
This is just to give a thorough understanding of some of the things a Black person (often in America or other western countries) deals with.
Unless writing about racism, we would not recommend overpacking your Black character with every one of these experiences, or at least not within the narrative. Â
Sprinkling in a few here and there is acceptable and adds realism.
Do not forget to include reactions to these micro-aggressions and when they occur, show theyâre not okay somehow in the text.
The micro aggressions tag has plenty of applicable advice.
General Micro-aggressions
People excusing blackface.
Having our grammar and annunciation corrected.
âI donât see you as a Black person/ I donât see colour.â
Calling Black people ghetto, thugs, rachet, sassy, urbanâŠ
People debating why they should be allowed to say the n-word.
Then saying the n-word anyway.
Whispering, spitting, or stumbling over the word âBlackâ as if itâs a curse.
Refusing to pronounce your name right, or just calling you by a different name thatâs easier.
Alternatively, âjokinglyâ calling you a âghettoâ name.
Constantly mixing up unrelated and not even resembling Black people, because you know.. âBlack people all look the same.â
Dismissing our experiences as âjust overreacting,â defending the wronging party, or using our plight to talk about oneâs own experience (e.g. âwell as a gay man iâve got it roughâŠâ).
Telling racist jokes and calling you sensitive when you donât find it funny.
â______  is the new civil rights movement!â Black folks are still fighting for their rights, soâŠ
Caricatured depictions of Black people on TV.
Casting calls for Black people only tailored for ârace roles.â
Media treating white criminals and killers better than Black victims (see these headlines).
Assuming you only listen to rap/hip-hop/r&b.
Assuming you love chicken, Kool-aid, and/or smoke weed.
Assuming youâre good at sports.
Assuming thereâs no father in the picture in Black families.
Assuming all Black people (see: young girls) have children.
Calling Black people who donât conform to preconceived images of Blackness âless black,â acting white or an âoreo.â
Non-Black People mimicking/imitating AAVE.
People falling into AAVE when talking to Black People.
âWhy donât Black people speak real English instead of âebonicsâ?â
Insults/doubting intelligence:
Youâre so articulate!â
âYou take advanced classes?!â
âHow did she get into that [prestigious school and/or program]?â
âThey only got x because theyâre Black/Affirmative action.â
Assuming a Black person (usually male) attends college because of a sports scholarship.
Counselors discouraging Black students to take prestigious coursework, assuming itâs too difficult for them.
âYouâre a credit to your race.â
âIâm glad youâre not like those other Black people. Youâre not ghetto or listen to that rap stuff..â
Tone policing: dismissing someoneâs reaction/argument/etc. because they are too âemotional.â Thinking that we need to be calm in order to be taken seriously.
Pitting African immigrants against African Americans, especially those coming to America for education, aka âGood Blacks.â
Beauty Standards and Dating
âYouâre pretty for a Black girl.â
âYouâre pretty! Are you mixed?â
âI donât usually date/arenât attracted to Black people.â
Calling attraction to Black people âjungle fever.â
People asking you what you are or where youâre really from.
Referring to Black people or our features as âexotic.â
Referring to Black peopleâs skin as chocolate or other foods.
Assuming dark skin doesnât need sunscreen. Like other humans, we do!
Saying Black women are âstrong, independent and donât need no man.â
Calling Black women âsassyâ or angry if she shows passion/emotion.
Overreactions/exaggerating our actions. This often involves assigning aggression where there is none. (Black person speaking firmly is yelling. A Black woman disagrees with someone: âwhy are you attacking me?â) Â
Referring to white and non-black women as âgirlsâ and âwomenâ while calling Black women âFemales.â
Men who apply courtesy to white women (holding doors, giving up seat) but donât apply the same to Black women.
Referring to Black women on government assistance as âwelfare queensâ (While ignoring that white people, white women especially, get more government assistance than Black people in the USA).
âBlack women All woman are beautiful.â (Stop. That. Please.)
People touching/petting your hair without consent.
âSo is that your real hair? Are those extensions?â
Calling natural black hair unprofessional.
White people appropriating Black hair styles (dreads, twists, etc) and being praised as edgy, while itâs âghetto, unprofessional, and uncleanâ on our own heads.
âDo you live in the ghetto?â
âCan you afford that?â
âHere are the value prices of this productâŠâ
Racial Profiling + Criminalization:
Crossing the street to avoid passing Black men/people.
Following in stores, assuming Black people are stealing.
Moving aside when we pass, clutching purse, locking doors.
Asking Black people for I.D. when paying with card (while white people are not asked).
Being pulled over + arrested at astonishingly higher rates than white people.
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