Racial Microaggressions: African American College Students Enrolled
Abstract
Racial microaggressions are experienced by African American college students in their daily lives as well as the workplace. Racial microaggressions are subtle racist statements or actions that are intended to denigrate people of color. Many times the perpetrator is not aware of the insults and sometimes he or she is aware. This study used a sample of African American college students (N=240) who attended a Historically Black University in the South. The researchers focused on four research questions to examine the effects of racial microaggressions with regards to employment and gender. The study results found that both male and female African American college students experience racial microaggressions in the workplace. A significant difference was revealed when comparing students who worked to students who did not work. The researchers discussed strategies to help African American college students’ reduce the deleterious effects of racial microaggressions on their emotional and physical health.