A study of over 400 racialized students at the University of Ottawa revealed a correlation between racial microaggressions and racial trauma symptoms. Students reported feeling welcomed in some areas due to campus reforms, peer support, and activism. However, they also faced troubling experiences of being misidentified and pressured to suppress their identities. A lower sense of belonging was linked to increased racial trauma symptoms, indicating the complexity of student experiences within diverse university environments.
Many students reported experiencing racial microaggressions in classrooms and social spaces, including being mistaken for service workers, being made to feel like outsiders, or feeling a need to suppress aspects of their racial or cultural identity to 'fit in.'
Campus reforms aimed at improving accountability in campus security and increasing awareness of racial dynamics appear to be making a difference. Some students noted improvements in how campus safety is handled, and others highlighted grassroots activism and peer-support networks that have helped them feel seen and supported.
#racial-microaggressions #racial-trauma #sense-of-belonging #student-experiences #university-diversity
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