Micro-aggressions, AAVE, and UMC Resources

Crisis Watch July 16, 2020

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Anti-Racism Daily has a good explanation of micro-aggressions and the major roles they play in interpersonal and systemic racism, along with offering ways to address it. Anti-Racism Daily’s founder, Nicole Cardoza, writes:

“Microaggressions [sic] are defined as "the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership" (Blavity). Microaggressions can be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc, and any combination of these, too (remember our conversation on intersectionality) …”

Here are key takeaways from the article:

  • “Racial microaggressions are common and brief and subvert forms of racism
  • “The impact of racial microaggressions is as damaging as macroaggressions
  • “Microaggressions contribute to the cumulative stress that non-white people experience as part of living with racism
  • “It's important that we leverage our privilege to dismantle microaggressions in our workplaces and other social spaces."

While it doesn’t address micro-aggressions specifically, the General Commission on Religion and Race offers an online course on implicit bias, the underlying cause of micro-aggressions. Check it out here.

Nicole Cardoza also has an excellent essay on AAVE, or African American Vernacular English, and how white people are biased against it. She writes in the newsletter: “Despite the fact that AAVE has its own comprehensive words, and syntaxes, it’s widely ridiculed in society, and dominant culture often infers that people that speak using AAVE are less intelligent and capable than those who do not. Most people, regardless of race, do not speak Standard American English, yet AAVE is the most stigmatized and debated (AfroPunk).

“These perceptions are reinforced by our education system that consistently shames students for using AAVE (The Atlantic). It’s also enforced by editorial standards. The AP stylebook avoids AAVE in its definition of prescriptive grammar, or, how grammar should be used (Daily Utah Chronicle). And this can have serious consequences. A study found that speaking AAVE makes it more likely that jurors will view Black people as guilty of a crime (Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice).”

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COVID-19 risk assessment tool

Say a prayer this week for all teachers, administrators and school boards trying to discern whether to re-open schools and parents trying to decide if they’re willing to let their children go back to school amid the possibility of coronavirus infection. As of July 16, coronavirus infections in the United States topped 3 million, with some 136,000 deaths. Anyplace large groups gather can become "super spreader" events for the virus, and that includes worship services and other church functions.

If you’re among these groups, you may find it helpful to check out Georgia Tech’s COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool.  It’s an interactive map that provides risk assessments for all U.S. counties. According to the map key, “… risk level is the estimated chance (0-100%) that at least 1 COVID-19 positive individual will be present at an event in a county, given the size of the event.” A tip o’ the hat to the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards of Ask the UMC for posting the link on Facebook.

The outlook for United Methodists in some U.S. coronavirus hot spots:

  • Bishop Bob Hoshibata continues to keep churches of the Desert-Southwest Conference (Arizona and part of Nevada) closed because of increased COVID-19 infections.
  • Bishop Mike McKee In the Dallas-based North Texas Conference has said his standard for re-opening churches is 14 days of a downward trend in coronavirus infections; instead infection rates there keep going up.
  • Bishop Ken Carter of Florida, where infections have risen exponentially, advises congregations that “virtual worship is the safest approach,” and “wearing masks is essential when any group gathers together. We ask everyone to wear a mask and do not consider masks to be optional.”

Some official UMC resources

The United Methodist Church’s primary website, umc.org, has been building a good library of resources for local churches and individuals coping with the double plagues of racism and the coronavirus pandemic. Check out these articles for starters:

Recalling Your Baptism: Renounce, reject & resist racism

Coronavirus inspiration, information & resources

Media Mentions July 16, 2020

I found no relevant media mentions for July 16. Must be the annual summer slump, if such a thing can be said to exist anymore in our topsy-turvy world of constant crisis. If you find something you think would enlighten Insight readers regarding faith-based efforts around the coronavirus pandemic, climate crisis, or dismantling racism, send us a link by email, on our Facebook page,  or on Twitter @UMInsight.

Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.