“I thought I’d have more trouble with white people!”: Exploring racial microaggressions between West African immigrants and African Americans |
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| Authors: | Ayodeji Dapherede Otusanya Gina Castle Bell |
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| Institution: | 1. Ayodeji Dapherede Otusanya is a doctoral student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Communication at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.;2. Gina Castle Bell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rhetoric Communication and Theatre at Saint John’s University in Queens New York. E-mail: bellg@stjohns.edu |
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| Abstract: | Racial tensions continue in 21st-century United States through the communication of racial microaggressions. We are interested in the communication of racial microaggressions directed towards West African immigrants by people with whom they expected to be allied, African Americans. Sixteen people who identified as West African immigrants were interviewed about communication struggles with African Americans in this qualitative, interpretive analysis. Owen’s thematic analysis was employed to analyze interview data. Results suggest the communicative impact of racial microaggressions on recipients is far-reaching and consequential. Narratives illustrate microaggressive communication occurs daily through invalidating, dismissive lines of questioning as well as targeted name calling and pejorative dialogue. |
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| Keywords: | Immigration Racial Microaggresstions Intercultural Communication Africa Thematic Analysis |
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