Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award – An Investigation of Racial Microaggressions Experienced by Black Brazilian Women Living in Australia

Dr. Tahcita M. Mizael

Tahcita M. Mizael is a Brazilian researcher and lecturer in the fields of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She holds a BA, a MA, and a PhD. in Psychology and has carried out research internships at Maynooth University, in Ireland, and at the University of South Australia. Her main research topics are stimulus equivalence, Relational Frame Theory, race relations, gender and sexuality, and autism.

An Investigation of Racial Microaggressions Experienced by Black Brazilian Women Living in Australia
An Abstract of Dr. Mizael’s Presentation to the 50th Annual Convention:

Racial microaggressions are chronic insults and slurs committed against non-White individuals based on their race/ethnicity. This study aimed to expand this literature by interviewing Black Brazilian women living in Australia. Eight participants were interviewed three times each. The prompts inquired about their experiences of racial microaggressions, the contexts they occurred, and how they reacted and dealt with them. All participants declared having experienced racial microaggressions by White Australians on multiple occasions. The most common categories found were “not being a real citizen”, “assumptions about intelligence, competency, or status”, “second-class citizen/ignored and invisible”, “avoiding and distancing”, and “environmental exclusion”. Most microaggressions happened in the work environment, followed by daily interactions with strangers, acquaintances, and/or friends. All participants tended to respond to those in a non-confrontational manner (refraining from replying or pointing out that the person was being racist) to avoid conflict, especially in the work environment. Two participants also responded in a confrontational manner at times by telling the perpetrator that their behavior was racist. To deal with the situation, participants: a) do not share those experiences with anyone to avoid making them worry about them, b) share those occurrences with their family and some Black friends, and/or c) avoid going out with people who are perpetrators.

The Distinguished Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award seeks to recognize, reward, and promote achievements with documented impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The award highlights creative DEI programming and the central role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in individual and institutional success. The goal is to emphasize effective models of action in DEI. The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is presented at each year’s ABAI Annual Convention in a DEI event to honor the awardee(s).