Equality & Equity Project

For the third year, The annual  Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. (STAATUS) Index by The Asian American Foundation is the leading study on perceptions and attitudes towards the AAPI community. Watch a 5-minute video from PBS News Hour as they discuss some of the results of the survey with Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation.

Each year, the National Women's History Alliance chooses a theme for Women's History Month. This year's theme is "Women Who Tell Our Stories". According to the United Nations Foundation, women comprise just 24% of the stories we read, see, or hear about in entertainment and media. 

There have been various studies on this, and all of these studies have shed light on striking gaps, which include low numbers of female protagonists in popular films, and an underrepresentation of women in awards shows. 

“The narratives that come out of Hollywood or advertising or the media are the narratives that get deeply embedded into our society,” says Jennifer Klein, Co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council.

Women’s representation and equal participation in the media shouldn’t be optional — it’s essential. If we want to break negative stereotypes of women in everyday life, we need to tackle them through all forms of entertainment and media. 

Watch this short video to learn more about the importance of how women are portrayed and represented in film. 

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Racial Trauma is defined as a form of race-based stress, referring to Black and Indigenous People of Color's (BIPOC) reactions to dangerous events and real or perceived experiences of racial discrimination. Such experiences may include threats of harm and injury, humiliating and shaming events, and witnessing racial discrimination toward other BIPOC. Although similar to posttraumatic stress disorder, racial trauma is unique in that it involves ongoing individual and collective injuries due to exposure and reexposure to race-based stress.

Impact Tulsa had a panel discussion for educators and nonprofits on "Responding to Racial Trauma in the Classroom." Watch the video here. The panel of experts shared on topics including culturally responsive instruction, addressing racial trauma, and supporting students of color effectively when school resumes.

What is the difference between equality and equity?

 

The 15th Amendment, which sought to protect the voting rights of Black men after the Civil War, was adopted into the U.S. Constitution in 1870. Despite the amendment, within a few years numerous discriminatory practices were used to prevent Black citizens from exercising their right to vote, especially in the South. It wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that legal barriers were outlawed at the state and local levels if they denied any Americans their right to vote under the 15th Amendment.

And yet, a wave of laws limiting the freedom to vote is sweeping across the nation. And voting rights advocates are sounding the alarm. Is this “Jim Crow 2.0”?

Gender-specific pricing (where items for women cost more than items for men) is often referred to as the “Pink Tax.” A 2015 study from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs found that products marketed towards women and girls cost an average of 7 percent more than those marketed towards boys and men, including items with identical ingredients or components, like shaving cream and razors. In addition, 30 US states maintain a “Tampon Tax.” This is a tax added to the cost of feminine hygiene products because they are not considered “necessities of life” and are therefore taxed as a luxury. 

 

Do you feel safe with your personal freedoms? What does it mean to be a second class citizen? "It takes no compromise to give people their rights," Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official, said in 1976, "It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression." Check out this timeline of LGBTQ rights in America, from Stonewall to the Supreme Court.

The burning Greenwood District during the Tulsa Race Massacre, 1921. First Street is visible in the foreground on which is located the Bessemer Gas Engine Company and the Eagle Hotel.
University of Tulsa/McFarlin Library Special Collections 

The Tulsa Race Massacre took place May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of White residents, many of them deputized and given weapons by city officials, attacked Black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event is considered one of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history. The attacks burned and destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the neighborhood – at the time one of the wealthiest Black communities in the United States, known as "Black Wall Street". 

Microaggressions come in many forms. Check out this video called "What kind of Asian are you?"

European NATO countries bordering Ukraine have welcomed its traumatized neighbors. However, their open-arm welcome is showing stark contrast. Black women, children, and students who are also fleeing Ukraine are being denied entrance to neighboring countries, and have been left out in the cold without life-saving humanitarian assistance. Read these articles for more:

Cambridge Chronicle by Rev. Irene Munroe.
Brookings Institute by Rashawn Ray
The Guardian by Emmanuel Akinwotu and Weronika Strzyżyńska
Independent by May Bulman and Nadine White

 

Maybe you've seen this picture. Do you know its history? Although Kamala Harris was the first woman, and the first woman of color, to be elected to serve as Vice President of the United States (2020,) she stands on the shoulders of so many, including Ruby Bridges. Read more here.

When 19th-century British missionaries arrived in the Caribbean to convert enslaved Africans, they came with a heavily edited version of the Bible. Any passage that might incite rebellion was removed from the “Slave Bible.” In their place, the missionaries emphasized passages that encouraged subservience, like Ephesians 6:5: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters …”

Read more here >

Equity has become quite a hot topic in the education world. Around the country, districts are planning equity initiatives, changing policies and practices, offering training for staff, and engaging students in their efforts to become more equitable. Other terms like equality, diversity, inclusion, and culturally responsive teaching get tossed around, too, which can get a little confusing! So what does educational equity really mean? How does it differ from these other terms? And how can you ensure your classroom practices are producing equitable outcomes? 

Click here to learn more.

 

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Racelighting refers to the process whereby People of Color question their own thoughts and actions due to systematically delivered racialized messages that make them second guess their own lived experiences with racism. When experiencing racelighting, People of Color often feel invalidated and become overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority and self-doubt. Here are some examples:

• A Black staff member who has been passed over for a promotion may start to believe it was because they are not “professional” enough. 
• A Latinx administrator who receives unnecessarily harsh feedback and destructive criticism of their work from colleagues may begin to question their own intelligence and capabilities.
• A Native American professor whose scholarship is viewed as lacking rigor because it focuses on racial equity and social justice may question if they belong in the academy.

If you would like to read more about racelighting, below is a PDF of a scholarly brief by Dr. J. Luke Wood and Dr. Frank Harris III, the two authors of the article linked at top.

Read Racelighting in the Normal Realities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color >

Allyship is committing to support a group you’re not part of, typically a marginalized group. Allies check their privilege and use it to elevate others’ voices. But some say that the term “ally” doesn’t always = action. Enter: the active bystander. That’s when you recognize a conflict and take action to try to diffuse it. Read about the "five Ds" in this article from The Skimm.

It is important to note that though no person alive today created the public education system, it is everyone’s responsibility to address inequities in the system, question power structures and ensure that every group (especially those who have been historically excluded) is represented and has a voice, making it more equitable for all students and families. It is also critically important to understand that the decisions made today create the public education system that impacts both current and future generations of students. To achieve an equitable system tomorrow, the work has to start today.

Learn more from the final installment in the ImpactTulsa multi-part series, Equity in Education.

August 3rd marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, or the day Black women had to work into 2021 to finally catch up to what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2020. Black women worked 579 days to earn what white men did in 365.

Olympians this year made headlines not for their incredible athletic feats or victories but for the obstacles standing in their way. Athletes everywhere are calling out the sporting body for a history of banning Black women. Read more about it in this article, "The Olympics has a race problem. Athletes everywhere are calling out the sporting body for a history of banning Black women" from Business Insider.

“When I was 16, I walked into my high school counselor’s office with a list of colleges that I wanted to apply to. My mom and I stayed up all night putting it together - weighing the pros/cons of each school, figuring out what majors they had, etc. I was excited and hopeful. I sat down, handed the list over to my counselor, and after she read the first three colleges (in order: UCLA, USC, and UW), she looked up at me with a confused expression. She crumpled the paper up, threw it in the trash, and told me ‘We’re going to look for more realistic options. Shall we?’ I was speechless. For the past 10 years of my life, I had been commuting across three cities to get to school because my parents wanted me to have the best education possible.” ~ Sy Stokes, Ph.D.

Please watch Dr. Stokes’ spoken word response to this experience in “Dear WhiteCounselor.”

In commemoration of The Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Uprising began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. At the time, homosexual acts remained illegal in every state except Illinois, and bars and restaurants could get shut down for having gay employees or serving gay patrons. The mere gathering of homosexuals was considered "disorderly." Police raids on gay bars were common, but on that particular night, bar patrons and neighborhood residents resisted as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar. Influenced by activist Marsha P. Johnson, this led to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots launched a new era of resistance and revolution, and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

 

The sacred Lakota mountain called The Six Grandfathers, was appropriated to become Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore's creator had ties with white supremacy groups.

 

According to a recent study, anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked 150 percent since the pandemic began. Learn more about the history of anti-Asian racism in the United States in this link to a recent Washington Post article.

 

Cpl. George Bushy, left, holds the youngest child of Shigeho Kitamoto, center, as she and her children are forced to leave Bainbridge Island, Wash., in 1942. They were sent to an internment camp. (AP)

The events of January 6, 2021, rattled the nation to its core. The extreme ideologies that led to the insurrection at the Capitol are reflective of radicalized ideological and theological perspectives that are evident in larger society and on college campuses. Within this context, this video will examine the viewpoints and historical perspectives that led to the events of January 6th. The speakers will also offer recommendations for college and university leaders on how to advocate for justice and reconciliation on our campuses and in our nation. Presented by Cora Learning. Featuring: Luke J.Wood, Lasana Hotep & Frank Harris III (1:26:00)

There’s No Scientific Basis for Race—It’s a Made-Up Label

It’s been used to define and separate people for millennia. But the concept of race is not grounded in genetics.

Read the National Geographic story.

This story is part of The Race Issue, a special issue of National Geographic that explores how race defines, separates, and unites us.

Two Wolves

A Cherokee Legend

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

source

A fictional story by Barbara Leahy (1998) where a young boy, Theo, asks his mother, “What if there were no black people?” Theo's mother walks him through the day where all the inventions and contributions that African Americans have made in US history are gone.

Read the story >

 

EMPOWERMENT is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority.

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Rather than domination, control and power over, POWER WITH leads to collective action and the ability to act together. Power with is shared power that grows out of collaboration and relationships. It is built on respect, mutual support, shared power, solidarity, influence, empowerment and collaborative decision making. 

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CULTURAL APPROPRIATION is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another, typically more dominant people or society. For instance, non-Black people wearing their hair in dreadlocks is cultural appropriation.

Black people with locs have been barred from walking at high-school graduations, denied jobs, wrongfully associated with drug use, and otherwise discriminated against. As a result of systemic racism, Black people face consequences for wearing dreadlocks that non-Black people do not.

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INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION is a learned fear and self-hatred of one’s own identity or identity group based on the acceptance of oppressive stereotypes, attitudes, and beliefs about their identity group.

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PRIVILEGE is unearned social power, a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people (for example, white privilege, heterosexual privilege, religious privilege, gender privilege, etc.) Privilege is usually invisible to those who have it, but nevertheless it puts them at an advantage over those who do not have it.

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MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCY is the process of learning about and becoming allies with people from other cultures, thereby broadening our own understanding and ability to participate in a multicultural process. The key element to becoming more culturally competent is respect for the ways that others live in and organize the world and an openness to learn from them.

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BIGOTRY is the intolerance of cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, or political beliefs that differ from one’s own.

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“I don't see color.” Yes, you do! COLORBLIND is a term used to describe personal, group, and institutional policies or practices that do not consider race or ethnicity as a determining factor. The term “colorblind” de‐emphasizes, or ignores, race and ethnicity, a large part of one’s identity.

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The theory and practice that advocates for educational and occupational equity between men and women is called FEMINISM. It undermines traditional cultural practices that support the subjugation of women by men and the devaluation of women’s contributions to society.

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TOKENISM is the practice of making only a perfunctory effort or symbolic gesture toward the accomplishment of a goal, such as racial integration by, for instance, hiring or appointing a token number of people from underrepresented groups in order to deflect criticism or comply with affirmative action rules.

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IMPLICIT BIAS (aka unconscious or hidden bias) refers to negative associations that people unknowingly hold. They are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness. Many studies have indicated that implicit biases affect individuals’ attitudes and actions, thus creating real-world implications, even though individuals may not even be aware that those biases exist within themselves. Notably, implicit biases have been shown to trump individuals’ stated commitments to equality and fairness, thereby producing behavior that diverges from the explicit attitudes that many people profess.

 

See more glossary terms >

 

Chinese-American Min Chueh Chang PhD, (1908-1991) was a reproductive biologist who was instrumental in the invention of the oral contraceptive pill in the 1950s – one of the most widely-used birth control methods today — that transformed reproductive freedom and autonomy worldwide. Chang’s research into the artificial insemination of farm animals also contributed to the development of human in vitro fertilization technology, which has since made parenthood possible for people around the world.

 

 

Linda Sarsour is a workingwoman, racial justice and civil rights activist, every Islamophobe’s worst nightmare, and mother of three. Ambitious, outspoken and independent, Linda shatters stereotypes of Muslim women while also treasuring her religious and ethnic heritage. She is a Palestinian Muslim American and a self-proclaimed “pure New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn!” She is the former Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and co-founder of the first Muslim online organizing platform, MPOWER Change. Linda has been at the forefront of major civil rights campaigns including calling for an end to unwarranted surveillance of New York’s Muslim communities and ending police policies like stop and frisk. In wake of the police murder of Mike Brown, she co-founded Muslims for Ferguson to build solidarity amongst American Muslim communities and encourage work against police brutality. She is a member of the Justice League NYC, a leading NYC force of activists, formerly incarcerated individuals, and artists working to reform the New York Police Department and the criminal justice system.

Source: Women's Media Center

 

Mary Mahoney  was born in the spring of 1845 in Boston, Massachusetts. Mahoney learned from an early age the importance of racial equality. Eager to encourage greater equality for African Americans and women, she pursued a nursing career which supported these aims. She is noted for becoming the first African American licensed nurse.

 

 

Patricia Era Bath was an American ophthalmologist, inventor, humanitarian, and academic. She invented an improved device for laser cataract surgery. Her invention was called Laserphaco Probe, which she patented in 1986.

What was my biggest obstacle?
Sexism, racism, and relative poverty were the obstacles which I faced as a young girl growing up in Harlem. There were no women physicians I knew of and surgery was a male-dominated profession; no high schools existed in Harlem, a predominantly black community; additionally, blacks were excluded from numerous medical schools and medical societies; and, my family did not possess the funds to send me to medical school. [Dr. Bath says her mother scrubbed floors so she could go to medical school.]

Despite official university policies extolling equality and condemning discrimination, Bath experienced both sexism and racism during her tenure at both UCLA and Drew. Determined that her research not be obstructed by the "glass ceilings," she took her research abroad to Europe, where her research was accepted on its merits at the Laser Medical Center of Berlin, West Germany, the Rothschild Eye Institute of Paris, France, and the Loughborough (England) Institute of Technology. At those institutions she excelled in research and laser science, the fruits of which are evidenced by her patents for laser eye surgery.

 

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler  challenged the prejudice that prevented African Americans from pursuing careers in medicine to became the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree. Although little has survived to tell the story of Crumpler's life, she has secured her place in the historical record with her book of medical advice for women and children, published in 1883.

 

 

 

Mary G. Ross is the fit known Native American engineer and the first female engineer to work for the company Lockheed. Ross’ great grandfather was one of the longest serving Cherokee nation chiefs, and she lived in the Cherokee Nation capital during her early education. Studying mathematics, she completed a Master’s degree and was hired by Lockheed in 1942. The company sent her to UCLA to gain skills in aeronautic engineering. After working her way up the male-dominated corporate ladder, she eventually worked with NASA. Early spaceflight relied on military-like technology, and Ross was an expert in this. While much of her work at NASA is classified, she made invaluable contributions to the Apollo program, including helping to write the NASA’s Planetary Flight Handbook. 

 

Marlee Matlin is still the youngest best-actress winner (Children of a Lesser God, age 21, 1986) and the only deaf actor to win an Academy Award. She says she is still boiling at a spiteful comment made at the time by a film critic: “[He said] I won out of pity – that I was a deaf person playing a deaf role, how is that acting? There are hearing people playing hearing roles; how’s that any different? That’s what we call ableism, or audism.” On TV, she has picked up four Emmy nominations, and her 2021 film, CODA, won that year's Oscar for best picture. She is now working on a project about how Prince Philip’s mother, who was deaf, rescued a Jewish family during the second world war. As an activist, Matlin helped push through legislation in the US requiring closed captioning on TV and streaming sites. 

 

 

The son of Puerto Rican parents, Lin-Manuel Miranda is an award-winning actor, performer and writer known for his groundbreaking Broadway musicals 'In the Heights' and 'Hamilton.' In April 2016, Hamilton won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and in May, the musical set a new record when it was nominated for 16 Tony Awards, the most in Broadway history. 

 

 

 

 

Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American transgender women whose activism in the 1960s and 70s had a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community. At that time, being gay was classified as a mental illness in the United States. Gay people were regularly threatened and beaten by police, and were shunned by many in society.

In June 1969, when Marsha was 23 years old, police raided The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, forcing over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then using excessive violence against them. Marsha was one of the key figures who stood up to the police during the raid and, in the following days, led a series of protests and riots demanding rights for gay people. News of these protests spread around the world, inspiring others to join protests and rights groups to fight for equality.

A month after the protests, the first openly gay march took place in New York - a pivotal moment for the gay and trans community everywhere.

 

 

Hailing from the Navajo tribe, Cory Witherill became the first full-blooded Native American to race in the Indy 500 in 2001, placing 19 out of 33. (The race was founded in 1911.) In 2002, he went to the Infiniti Pro Series, and won the Nashville Indy Pro race in 2002. Cory's professional career spanned from 1997 to 2004. He is now known for his public service and charity work within the Native American community.

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The United States Supreme Court was established in 1789 and assembled in 1790. Since then there has been 115 Justices. On April 7th, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history by being confirmed as the first Black woman on Supreme Court by a vote of 53-47.

 

The Chinese New Year starts February 1st, and many people will join in the celebrations. But did you know? “Smart.” “Hard-working.” “Nice.” were among the adjectives that respondents offered up in a recent poll when asked to describe Asian Americans. Characterizing Asian Americans as a “model minority” flattens the diverse experiences of Asian Americans into a singular, narrow narrative. It paints a misleading picture about the community that doesn't align with current statistics and perpetuates difficulties such as the “bamboo ceiling.” Here is a link to some common misconceptions driven by the model minority myth. 

 

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Temple Grandin

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As Pride Month comes to a close, a recap: The 1969 Stonewall Uprising marked a turning point in the quest for gay rights. In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, but a year later, 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. In 2020, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling saying that Title VII of the Civil Rights act of 1964 protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination but, in 2021, extending full protections through an amendment to the Civil Rights Act, called the Equality Act, still struggles for approval in Congress.

 

Commemorated annually on June 19th, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Sep. 22, 1862, after the Civil War ended in April 1865 most slaves in Texas were still unaware of their freedom. This began to change when Union troops arrived in Galveston as part of a six-week ride through Texas to spread the news. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger read ‘General Orders No. 3’ on June 19, 1865, informing the people of Texas that “… all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.” Freed African Americans observed “Emancipation Day,” as it was first known, as early as 1866 in Galveston.

You can learn more about the historical legacy of Juneteenth at The Smithsonian’s site: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth 

 

The Juneteenth flag will be flown this month for the first time at North Shore Community College. The flag’s symbolism includes:

• The star burst: representing the significance of Galveston, Texas in Juneteenth, and the nova-like quality representing new beginnings for African Americans in all 50 states.
• The curved surface indicates a horizon, a dawn of fresh opportunity and possibility for African Americans.
• The red, white and blue represents the American flag as a reminder that enslaved people and their descendants were and are Americans.
• The date, June 19, 1865, represents the day when enslaved black people in Galveston, Texas were told that they were free under the law, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation became official in 1863.

North Shore Junteenth Association Inc. is a group of community leaders seeking to create awareness about the Juneteenth holiday, and educate the broader community about positive aspects of African American culture. If you want to get more involved or learn more, please check out their website, https://north-shore-juneteenth-assoc.constantcontactsites.com/

 

Many companies have recruiting channels that are predominantly white. Work with your Human Resources department to recruit Americans who are descendants of enslaved Africans. Recruiting from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is a good start.

 

See more historical facts >

See more examples of privilege >

Be an ally. When talking about places with accommodations for people with disabilities, use the term “accessible” rather than “disabled” or “handicapped.” For example, refer to an “accessible” parking space rather than a “disabled” or “handicapped” parking space or “an accessible bathroom stall” rather than “a handicapped bathroom stall.” 

 

Be an ally. An ally is someone who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.) and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice. Allies understand that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways. Allies commit to reducing their own complicity or collusion in oppression of those groups and invest in strengthening their own knowledge and awareness of oppression.

 

Be an ally. Learn about different models of disability. Understand what ABLEISM is and how to detect it. Discover the million reasons why accessibility matters. You can start learning with these resources: Haben Girma's memoir, the film Crip Camp, and Stella Young's TED Talk.

 

When talking about places with accommodations for people with disabilities, use the term “accessible” rather than “disabled” or “handicapped.” For example, refer to an “accessible” parking space rather than a “disabled” or “handicapped” parking space or “an accessible bathroom stall” rather than “a handicapped bathroom stall.”

 

Be an ally to people of different faiths. Reach out to your colleagues or classmates of different faiths during key holidays to acknowledge their experience. During Ramadan, for example, message a Muslim friend and ask: "How is Ramadan going? How was your iftar last night?" (Iftar is the meal Muslims have at sunset after a day of fasting from food and water.) 

 

Eighty-six percent (86%) of black teens who experience discrimination state they have experienced discrimination based on their hair by the age of 12.  H.R. 2116 also known as the the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) passed along party lines in the House with a vote of 235-189 on March 18. Hair discrimination is one step closer to being banned across the country with a vote by Senate.

 

Be an ally. When discussing different experiences and points of view, expect and accept non-closure. “Hang out in uncertainty” and try not to rush to quick solutions, especially in relation to racial understanding. This can be heavy, confusing, and lead to more questions than answers. Remember that you are engaging in an adaptive process, not implementing technical solutions.

 

Be an ally. Speaking up when witnessing a microaggression at work isn’t necessarily easy because of power dynamics. So, have a couple of stock phrases to pull out when you need them at work, or anywhere. For example: “What makes you say that?” “We don’t do that here.” “I don’t get it. Can you explain the joke to me?” “Wow, that was awkward.” Here is a link to other responses towards microaggressions.

 

See more ways to combat inequality >