A name for the pain: Examining the consequences of racial microaggressions in k-12 schooling from the perspectives of adult African American males

Abstract

Racial microaggressions are defined as “brief and commonplace daily, verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color (Sue et al., 2007, p. 271).” In K-12 public schools throughout the country, racial microaggressions and their associated biases tend to create social and learning experiences for African American Males (AAMs) that are less supportive and rewarding than those experienced by historically non-racialized populations such as White males (Williams, Kanter, & Ching, 2017). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the occurrence and aftereffects of racial microaggressions as they pertain to AAMs in the K-12 schooling pipeline. The study utilized narrative inquiry, and employed semi-structured interviews as means of extracting, examining, and interpreting data in the form of counter-stories of AAM study participants. The study employs an autoethnography technique, which allowed me to serve as both the researcher and a co-participant in the study. Through the conjoined lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Microaggressions Theory (MT), the study looked reflectively at the participants’ past schooling experiences and analyzed the manners in which microaggressions revealed themselves, as well as psychological and emotional consequences caused by such encounters. Study results suggest that multiethnic cultural norms dissimilar to traditional White norms are often ignored, attacked, or disregarded by classroom teachers and administrators, which in turn induces a culture of unhealthy schooling experiences.