Working Groups Reports: Racial Microaggressions/White Privilege/ Race & Ethnicity

Please Note: These reports were produced by working group teams participating in the MizzouDiversity Summit. There may be errors in some of the data provided and the viewpoints presented reflect the beliefs and opinions of the working group teams but do not necessarily represent the official positions of the Chancellor's Diversity Initiative or the University of Missouri.

Tomaz Cunningham
Ericka Evans
Molly Frankel
Gabrielle Malfatti-Rachell
Kim Marmon
Nathan Stephens
Karen Traylor

Definitions

Racial Microaggressions
Stunning, automatic acts of disregard that stem from unconscious attitudes of white (dominant culture) superiority and constitute a verification of Black (minority) inferiority
White Privilege
Unearned, often invisible, assets or advantages that maintain a power differential between Whites and non-Whites

Praiseworthy Aspects of Mizzou

Online Bias-Related Incident Report
Difficult Dialogues
Diversity Brown Bag Lunches
Cultural Centers

Areas of Concern

Lack of institutional acknowledgement of White Privilege
Lack of widely-known consequences for Microaggressions
Difficulty in stepping out of comfort zones to venture out toward or accept others
Creating climates of openness

Recommendations for Improvement

More newly hired administrators and faculty with a track record of commitment to diversity
Infusion of diversity into the curriculum
Administrative sanctions for bias-related incidents
Faculty and student training on Racial Microaggressions and White Privilege
Promoting diversity-related concerns as everyone’s job and not just for minorities or specific administrative representatives
Move from multicultural sensitivity to multicultural competence for ALL
Require a percentage of faculty and staff professional development to be devoted to multicultural competence (e.g. Social Justice Institute)
Proactively challenge Microaggressions on all levels
Explore ways in which power differentials are maintained
Empower those who are ready for change