The term “microaggressions” was coined in 1920 by psychiatrist and Harvard University professor Chester Pierce. Microaggressions are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults towards others. Perpetrators of microaggressions are often unaware that they engage in such communications when they interact with individuals of marginalized groups. Microaggressions can damage working relationships, negatively impact morale and productivity, ultimately harming the workplace and work cultures as a whole. This course provides participants with an introduction to microaggressions and their numerous manifestations in the workplace as well as recommendations on how to reduce the prevalence and influence of microaggressions on recipients.
