Print Full Role Play List for students prior to the session Full Role Play List
Depending on the cohort that you're in, Facilitator should pull up the attendance spreadsheet and quickly take attendance.
The cohort introduces their norms from Mod 1 to the Facilitator.
We are going to spend today discussing microaggressions and specifically discussing how we can build our skill at being able to interrupt microaggressions. We began discussing this in Mod 2 when we watched Code: Debugging the Gender Gap. In that movie, we heard the phrase from Megan Smith, "Death by 1,000 cuts." At Turing, we see microaggressions happen daily. Today we will look at a set of scenarios that have happened on our campus with our well intentioned students and staff that care about inclusion. We all commit microaggressions, yet we have never been taught the skills of how to discuss or interrupt them.
We are going to add one additional norm to our class-established norms for this conversation:
Take this seriously, no jokes about "microaggressions".
Get into a circle. Pass around the giant magnifying glass and answer one of the following questions:
- What are you bringing to this discussion today?
- What lens of your identity are you "seeing through" today?
- What pieces of the way you show up do you want to examine today?
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When did you first learn about differences between race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation?
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What was your experience like in talking about these differences?
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How did that experience impact your ability to talk about those differences now?
Key Points:
* In our society, white people often were taught not to talk about race or to be color blind, whereas people of color have to talk about race on a daily basis.
* How our parents or family talk about difference impacts how we talk about difference.
* Nowhere in our education system do we help all people build skill to navigate difference. It's pretty hard to be good at something that you never practice. Therefore we continually avoid the things we are not good at, which only makes it harder to discuss.
A microaggression is a brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignity, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicates hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults towards marginalized groups.
Pair Share:
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What do you notice about this definition?
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Why are these harmful?
Here are a few comments that would be considered microaggressions.
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"Diversity is important, but we won't lower the bar."
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"You will for sure get hired. Companies love diversity."
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"What do you mean you aren't a Broncos fan? What kind of man are you?"
What is harmful about these statements?
*Generally speaking, when identifying microaggressions Dr. Derald Sue considers it best to believe the one who perceives the bias. “Almost all of the studies indicate that the people who are most disempowered have the most accurate perception of a situation of bias because people who have power don’t need to understand the situation in order to do well,” he says.
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/370078/microaggression-alec-torres
| Structural/Laws | Social |
|---|---|
| 3/5ths rule | family |
| voting rights | media |
| red lining | friends |
| Marriage rights | stereotypes |
| Immigration | biases |
Historically, the United States was created with laws that systematically oppressed certain groups of people based on race, class, gender, gender expression, and sexuality. Though we might not all have grown up here, we ALL are a part of today's society that has been formed from that history. We ALL have a part to change things that we do not feel are providing an equal opportunity for everyone. This requires us to unlearn this socialization and act counter-culturally to disrupt systems of oppression. If we do not interrupt this cycle, we are more likely to stay in segregated communities or social circles that continue to deepen the biases that we have developed.
We also know that there are different types of experiences that will increase our dependence on bias and stereotypes.
Stressed
Financially strained
Sleep deprived
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
- Does this sound like Turing? *
Pair Share:
- What is challenging about interrupting microaggressions?
Challenges to interrupting microaggressions (in addition to the ones the group discusses):
Lack of power or privilege
Lack of relationship
Caught off guard
Unsure of intent
Don't realize it until it is too late
Not in the right mindset to address the situation
Can't find the right words to address the situation
It can be important to think about how to interrupt a microaggression from two different perspectives. As a TARGET and as an ALLY. Oftentimes it will be easier to interrupt as an ALLY because you do not have the same risk as those who are the targets. You might want to privately discuss the situation with the target before stepping in as an ally. The person committing the microaggression is called the AGENT.
Consider Context: Should you address the person in the immediate group/situation or ask them to a 1:1 conversation?
Potential Script:
I noticed you said X...
Though it probably wasn't your intent, but that made me feel...
OR If I were a ______ that would might make me feel..
Can you tell me more about why you said that?
OR In the future, you might want to consider the impact of that statement and instead say...
* You might want to follow up with ____ because they seemed uncomfortable in that conversation
*That made me feel X, and that's not ok with me. I'd like to continue focusing on our work right now though and talk to you about it later, would that work for you?
We all commit microaggressions because it is part of how we are socialized, how we were brought up, how our country was formed. As you become more aware, you will commit fewer microaggressions and be able to interrupt the cycle more consistently. If you do get feedback that you committed a microaggression, remember:
Accept it.
Applogize. (Even thank the person for helping you become more aware)
Reflect on the situation.
Learn from it.
Form groups of 3 or 4. For each role play, allow the ally to interrupt the microaggression first. Then role play again and allow the target to interrupt the microaggression. Reflect on the process once you have both responded.
Scenario 1 Target of microaggression: A woman
Person A (woman): I have a really great idea about this problem. I think we should use the spread operator
Person B: Interrupts person A before she finishes I think we should go a different direction.
Person A: Well, I think if we used the spread operator...
Person B: Interrupts again I am pretty sure that we should try to use a different method.
Scenario 2
Target of microaggression: A person of color
Person A (Person of color): I am really nervous about this job search.
Person B: Why are you nervous? You are going to do just fine because companies love diversity.
Scenario 3
Target of microaggression: A woman
Person A: Let's get started with this meeting. (Turns to the only woman in the group) Can you take notes? I'm so bad at taking notes.
Scenario 4
Target of microaggression: A woman
Person A (woman): I am really looking forward to learning more about blockchain.
Person B: That is a really complex topic. Are you sure you want to jump into that?
Scenario 5
Target of microaggression: Someone who identifies as LGBT
Person A: What did you do this weekend?
Person B (target): My partner and I went out to this awesome new restaurant.
Person A: Oh! I didn't know you had a partner. You know, you should meet my good friend who is also gay. You would love them!
Scenario 6
Target of microaggression: Someone who identifies as LGBT
Person A: I love your sweatshirt!
Person B: Thanks, it is my partner's shirt.
Person A: I wish I was gay so that I could share a wardrobe. That must be so nice!
Scenario 7
Target of microaggression: A person of color
Person A: Have you noticed that all of our speakers this inning have been white men?
Person B: You are always so sensitive about race. There probably aren't any developers of color who were able to come in.
Scenario 8
Target of microaggression: A woman
Person A: We should get ready to present. Who wants to do what part?
Person B: (To the woman in the group) Well, you should go up there to be our eye candy for the presentation.
Share in small groups or in whole group
Discussion: What are the lenses that you need to become more aware of in order to interrupt microaggressions?
Please have students complete the Gear Up reflection in their personal Gear Up gist, answering these questions:
- What are you left thinking about from today's session?
- How do you think the concepts covered in Gear Up today will impact you as a software developer? 3-5 sentences
- Any additional thoughts on the session today?
These reflections will take the place of Gear Up Surveys, and students should continue using that same gist to reflect throughout the module.
- "Students See Many Slights as Racial ‘Microaggressions'"(New York Times: March 21, 2014)
- "Stop Acting So Surprised: How Microaggressions Enforce Stereotypes in Tech"(Model View Culture: June 30, 2015)
- "Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send"
- "A Month of Microaggressions"(Huffington Post: September 9, 2016)