Racism’s not micro. We must listen, act and change, because #EveryActionCounts. Today, I will focus on micro-aggressions, because I can see it is still a widely underrecognized and unchallenged form of racism within society. I will also highlight the positive actions we can all take to discourage all forms of racism, including the taking part in the Race Equality Week’s famous 5-day challenge.

What are micro-aggressions?

Micro-aggressions are SMALL acts that can bring BIG negative impact to those who identify as members of marginalised groups. Verbal examples include:

  • where are you really from?
  • can I touch your hair?
  • you speak English quite well
  • I can’t pronounce your name, Rithika, can I call you Rita (more Westernised nickname) for short?
  • there is no need to get upset, it is just a joke.

Micro-aggressions can also be non-verbal. They can include:

  • nodding and smiling in response to racist jokes.
  • ignoring, eye-rolling or interrupting certain people when they share their name and insights.
  • turning away from or avoiding someone altogether.
  • scheduling meetings that clash with one’s religious or cultural events.
  • only allowing certain people to work on high-impact projects.

Why microaggressions are not micro and still matter

To jumpstart, here are some shocking stats from Race Equality Matters 2023 poll:

  • 83% of respondents said they experience microaggressions in the workplace, and yet, only 16% said microaggressions are regularly or quite often called out by colleagues.
  • 69% said it is because they don’t know what to say and 59% said people don’t know how to. Sadly, this is not surprising as many organisations fail to provide the training needed to address them.

These key issues are still ongoing according to the Race Equality Matters 2024 poll:

  • Only 40% of the Race Equality Matters community believes their organisation focuses on action, change, and impact, and not just words.
  • 26% believe that less than a quarter of allies are actually helping to tackle race inequality.
  • 64% said their senior leaders and managers express commitment to tackling race inequality, but only 46% said their senior leaders and managers are actually doing something that matters.

These microaggressions matter, because they can have a major impact on ones’ psychological and physical health over time, just like mosquito bites (Cleveland Clinic, 2023).

In Race Equality Week 2023 we learnt that ‘it’s everyone’s business’ and in 2024 we learnt to ‘listen act change’. This year, we need action – because ‘every action counts’.

Words + ACTIONS = Positive Change

Here are some actions you can take:

  • take the 5-Day Challenge – 5 Challenges – 5 Minutes – 5-Days. For more challenges visit raceequalitymatters.com.
  • join (or start) an anti-racism advocacy network, seminar, or course in your workplace or community. This will allow you to meet new people who will challenge your biases and motivate you to keep advocating for yourself and others.
  • connect with BME mentors as early as possible in your career, as they can promote your value to different employers and help you ace your career. You might meet them in advocacy-networks.
  • call out micro-aggressions in everyday conversations, explaining why they are harmful.
  • report issues to relevant authorities (e.g., HR team) so they can take further action.
  • when you accidently commit or bypass a microaggression, apologise and promise to change.
  • ask the person who experienced the microaggression if they are okay.

If we all get our act together this Race Equality Week, we can end racism.

  • Rithika Nadipalli is a Content Contributor for United Response