In this reflection paper, I will examine my reactions to the required readings on white privilege and microaggressions, explore their significance, and assess how they have influenced my perception of the oppression faced by people from other groups. The readings for this reflection include Chapters 3, 5, and 6 from Hays-Thomas’s (2023) book “Managing Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: An article by McIntosh (1990), entitled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” as well as the article “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice” by Sue et al. (2007).
With the encounters with the required readings on white privilege and microaggressions, some reactions ranged from positive affirmations to moments of deep understanding. It was McIntosh’s article on “White Privilege” – “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” which elicited an utterance of discomfort in me as it exposed the pervasive invisible yet entrenched advantages and prejudices in modern-day society (McIntosh’s, 1990). McIntosh’s reflections worked as a highly effective catalyst for my critical thought regarding the privilege of my status and the system enabling inequality. Furthermore, the idea of privilege is seen as an invisible knapsack that white people carry yet seldom acknowledge spoke deeply to me, leading to a more sophisticated understanding of privilege as an institutionalized phenomenon and not merely individual attitudes or behaviors.
Similarly, the study by Sue et al. on racial microaggressions further provided crucial information on the undertones of everyday racism. The examples given in the article show that microaggressions are very common and harmful to the target group. Learning about microaggressions through lived experiences made one empathetic and consciously aware of how racism could creep up inadvertently in interpersonal interactions (Sue et al., 2007). This realization brought in a commitment to fight microaggressions systematically, both in the personal and professional realms. Further, the book of Hays-Thomas (2023), “Managing Workplace Diversity and Inclusion: The ‘Psychological Perspective,'” is the theory base for understanding the phenomenon of diversity management in organizational settings. Such studies unveiled the problems of promoting inclusiveness and the associated power dynamics (Hays-Thomas, 2023). By so doing, the psychological approach sheds light on the implicit biases and behaviors underlying an organizational culture. Indeed, it also exposed a problem of marginalized persons within organizational settings.
The sections on white privilege and microaggressions were particularly eye-opening and introduced me to the new definitions of privilege and helped me turn a critical eye on my behavior. In that way, McIntosh’s concept of white privilege was paradigm-changing since it brought into question some long-held suppositions and even opened the eyes of other perspectives on structural disadvantages (McIntosh, 1990). By exposing the different dimensions of privilege, McIntosh has led to a more vivid consciousness of the structural constraints undergirding inequality. My new awareness has led me to question my privilege and fight for structural reform. Likewise, Sue et al. have observed that the more subtle forms of racism through racial microaggressions still need to be identified and resolved. In this way, the article drew attention to the cumulative effect of microaggressions and to the significance of establishing environments of inclusivity that are free of discriminatory behaviors (Sue et al. 2007). This resulted in an agenda for a team that would actively deal with microaggressions and voice amplifications of those who were excluded, hence creating a culture of respect and equity. Besides, Hays-Thomas (2023) in the chapters on diversity and inclusion gave ways on how concrete facilitation of organizational change can be done to promote inclusive workplaces. From the psychological perspective, it provided me with very enlightening justifications for the dynamics behind diversity management, which gave me a competitive edge in dealing with complex personal relationships while promoting inclusive policies. Such knowledge would enable me to put my privilege to use in ways that were more useful in various organizational contexts, towards a more far-reaching social justice movement.
The readings on white privilege and microaggressions opened my eyes to the marginalization that members of oppressed groups go through. McIntosh provides her idea of white privilege that brought to light the structural benefits the whites enjoy while bringing out the fact of deep-rooted inequality (McIntosh 1990). When deconstructing the invisible race purse of privilege, McIntosh showed the systemic strategy that surrounds all the oppressed and disadvantaged communities through social structures. Sue et al. also wrote about racial microaggressions, which helped to shed light on the more subtle ways of enacting racism within everyday interactions. Exposed these subtle mechanisms of racism within which racism exists, showing how a series of behaviors seemingly trivial has a tremendous effect (Sue et al. (2007). It just made me more sensitive to microaggressions, which has allowed me to see how widespread oppression is and how there needs to be more of a proactive approach to not accepting and changing attitudes and practices that discriminate against others.
Finally, white privilege readings and microaggressions led to the self-reflection and critical analysis. McIntosh’s (1990) white privilege and Sue et al.’s (2007) racial micro-aggressions were works that identified systemic aspects of oppression and accordingly foregrounded the demand for inclusiveness within spaces. Some insights shared by Hays-Thomas’s (2023) chapters on diversity and inclusion were the suggestions for practical approaches to how organizations might change themselves. This article has expanded the conceptualization of privilege, oppression, and the enactment of social justice within the personal and professional relationship.
References
Hays-Thomas, R. (2023). Managing workplace diversity and inclusion: A psychological perspective (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Independent School, 4931.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. The American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.
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