Microaggressions 

 

“Everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or

insults, whether intentional or unintentional, [that] communicate hostile,

derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely

upon their marginalized membership” - Derald Wing Sue (2010) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microaffirmations 

 

Small gestures of inclusion and caring, and

graceful acts of listening” - Mary Rowe (2008) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hendrix College Microaggressions and Microaffirmations 

Project (M&M Project) is a campus photography at Hendrix College,

funded by the Associated Colleges of the South. The purpose of the

project is to raise awareness about microaggressions and to promote

the adoption of microaffirmations. The M&M Project involves taking

pictures of students holding up written signs of their encounters with

micro-behaviors, developing a website to feature the pictures, and

utilizing the website as part of classroom instruction, student leadership

training, faculty and staff development, etc. The vision of the project is to

help foster a more inclusive and understanding Hendrix community. 

In 2018, the theme was on race and ethnicity. For 2019, the theme is

gender and sexuality. About 200 students have participated in the

M&M Project. 

 

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Microaggressions are the “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and

environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or

 unintentional, [that] communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative

messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized

group membership” (Sue 2010). In the context of higher education,

microaggressions can be detrimental to students from marginalized

communities in terms of their sense of belonging, academic 

performance, and college retention rate (Harwood et al. 2015).

 Microaffirmations, on the other hand, are “gestures of inclusion and

caring, and graceful acts of listening” (Rowe 2008). These small acts of

kindness can yield positive outcomes in outlook and performance for

many students (Pittinsky and Montoya 2016). By raising awareness

about the harmful effects of microaggressions and the potential 

power of microaffirmations, the M&M Project seeks to create a more 

 equitable and welcoming learning environment at Hendrix College. 

 

 

 

References 

 

Harwood, Stacy A., Shinwoo Choi, Moises Orozco, Margaret Brown Huntt. Rudy Mendenhall.  

2015. Racial Microaggressions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Voices of Students of Color in the Classroom. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

 

Pittinsky, Todd L., and R. Matthew Montoya. 2016. “Emphatic Joy in Positive Intergroup  

Relations.” Social Issues, 72(3):511-523. 

 

Rowe, Mary. 2008. “Micro-Affirmations and Micro-Inequities.” Journal of International  

Ombudsman, 1(1):45-48. 

 

Sue, Derald Wing. 2010. Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual  

Orientation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.