WEEK4
Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week, we are to share our experience over the week with micro aggression or experience that we remembered from another time. I did not experience any microaggression during my outings this week, so I would share the microaggression I experienced and remembered from another time back in Nigeria. I went to visit a lecturer who had always acted like a father to me, during one of my holidays in Nigeria. He said he wanted to have an important discussion with me, so I went and we started the conversation about life in Saudi Arabia, my plans for higher education, suddenly in looked into my eyes and said ‘why are you people so violent and full of hate’’ .I was stunned and confused. Then he said ‘your religion ‘ I did not expect it from him. He was like an uncle to me and I respected him a lot. He said it so calmly and casually like he felt it did make any impact on my feelings. My response to him was I do not believe any religion preaches hate and violence, I believe these features are more of individual characters and tendencies. I felt hurt because I expected him to be more sensitive and conscious being an Associate Professor. I realized as the conversation went on his reason for being conclusive was based on a bad experience from a family member of his with a Muslim. He got a call when we were talking and told me to come back for more discussion that was the last time we saw, I was disappointed because I felt he knew me so why should he associate hate and violence with me.

Based on the knowledge I have about effect discrimination, prejudice and stereotype on people. I have come to realize how deeply rooted it is and how these misinformation as been transferred from generations to generations based on certain incidents on experiences. I have come to realize how society the media, families, close companions tend to influence our judgment and perception about others or certain groups. I have come to understand how hurtful and disappointed people who are victims of micro aggression feel, and this could destroy relationships. We need to seek knowledge about others way of life instead of just prejudging. Careful reflection on our utterances and behaviors to diverse individual is necessary. Victims also should try to make perpetrators understand the gravity of the act they have committed, so corrections can be made.

As an educator, I believe since I know now that children pick acts, language and behaviors that are bias early, conscious effort would be made to prevent and correct it early in them.