Definitions by Racial Wellness

Racial Microaggression 

Racial microaggressions are derogatory messages that Black, Indigenous, and people of color continuously receive about our racial identities. They can manifest as verbal and nonverbal abuse, and they come in the form of insults, criticism, eye-rolling, ignoring, and other forms of hostility. They reflect all the ways in which people have been conditioned to negatively view Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Source: Racial Wellness, a book by Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu Iyamah

When she told me "you're so pretty for a Black girl" I knew I had just experienced a racial microaggression.

Racial Microaggression by Racial Wellness September 18, 2023

Racial Triangulation 

Racial triangulation as a divide-and-conquer tactic often involves blaming one community of color for another’s problems, bribing one with resources in exchange for their participation in oppressing another, and creating narratives that cultivate mistrust between them.

Source: Racial Wellness, a book by Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu Iyamah

An example of Racial Triangulation is when legislators created the narrative that Affirmative Action is harmful towards the Asian community in order to justify divesting it, when in reality, it actually helps all communities of color.

Racial Triangulation by Racial Wellness September 18, 2023