2023 Theses Doctoral

Intraracial Microaggressions and African Americans: A Qualitative Exploration

Proctor-Reyes, Amber

The existing literature on racial microaggressions has been vital in illuminating how these phenomena may be experienced within marginalized groups (e.g., Wong et al., 2014), including Black communities (e.g., Soloranzo et al., 2000; Sue, Nadal et al., 2008). However, the literature in the area of intraracial microaggressions (IRMs) among African Americans, or racial microaggression incidents where both the receiver and offender are Black, is scarce. As such, the current study explored the phenomena of Black-on-Black racial microaggressions.

The principal investigator utilized Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill et al., 1997) to explore the phenomena of IRMs. The current study aspired to answer research questions that addressed how IRMs may appear in the African American community, how frequent IRMs are experienced, their influence on psychological/emotional wellness and coping behaviors, the function of the perpetrator’s ethnicity, and variations between inter- and intraracial microaggression experiences.

The results suggested that, typically, IRMs are experienced in which one’s Blackness is challenged, the perpetrator’s ethnicity is African American/Black American, and the offender’s ethnicity is perceived as having affected the microaggressive incidents. Moreover, the current data indicate that African Americans usually have negative reactions to IRMs, and IRMs have frequently had an impact on the daily lives of individuals. The current findings support the continual enrichment of training, practice, and research by furthering knowledge in a developing area of knowledge and multicultural competence.