#microaggressions

#microaggressions

I didn't even see him coming well, I wouldn't have, as he came up from behind me. I had walked in his path, he barked at me. What path? I thought, baffled, as I took in the huge expanse of empty pavement around us. I was so stupefied by the encounter that I found myself frozen to the spot, watching him walk away in his blue anorak and technical rucksack.

As far-right and anti-immigration influences take hold across the globe, people of colour are often struggling to know where they might feel safe. Encountering occasional racism has been a fact of life for people of colour in most countries in the west. Emboldened by the far-right movements, racist voices are now becoming louder and moving into the mainstream. One of the emergent themes within the therapy room has involved a resurgence of racial trauma, especially for those who have previously experienced significant such harm.

Maureen's reactions make complete sense-both as a child and as an adult, she learned to stay guarded. Being alert likely protected her in harsh settings, and that deserves recognition. But there's also a toll: living in a state of high alert is exhausting. Bracing for criticism, decoding tone and word choice, and anticipating the next betrayal drains us physically and emotionally.

She never expected to be met with hostility and suspicion. Like me, my sister is a Black mixed-race woman. My son is, at a glance, white-presenting, with blond hair and blue eyes. As they travelled together on the London underground, a woman looked at my son, looked at my sister and asked coldly: Are you child-minding? It was humiliating and invalidating.

This summer a video went viral on social media when an attorney in Colorado was arguing his case on behalf of the state. In a painfully awkward moment, he called the woman judge "Honey." The appropriate term should have been "Your Honor." The cringe-worthy remark startled the courtroom. When the attorney said, "But, but honey," he instantly realized his mistake.

Ariana Biermann's apartment search in New York City is finally over, ending her aimless urban wanderings while fostering a rekindled friendship and addressing microaggressions.