microaggressions

Here’s the ultimate guide, an insider scoop on how I perform my race, conform to the Eurocentric male gaze and never reform the controversial institutions.

Whitexicans are thought of as a big joke in Mexico, from their accents to the way they dress (usually wearing a “Mexico is the s—” bomber jacket).

It’s still a far cry from completely demolishing the interminority racism in my family, much less the interracial conflicts in our society as a whole. White versus minority conversations tend to eclipse those of minority versus minority.

And while my mother comforted me, she would often whisper, “Don’t be sad. We are so lucky to have gotten to move to America."

In a white-dominated institution such as UC Berkeley, we need to talk about the emotional labor that students of color inevitably undertake to exist here.

Microaggressions — as my sister and I know — are frequent occurrences: At some point in the life of each student who’s a BIPOC, you endure this unfortunate fate.

Up until this point I had been ignorant of the fact that my whiteness granted me greater social mobility and access to parties. My white privilege meant that I was never subject to any kind of racial profiling. It meant that I would never have to consider how profiling affected people of color and other marginalized students within the Greek community — until it happened to my friends.

Last week, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ released a statement in response to recent microaggressions directed at Chinese American faculty members on campus –– But this isn't an isolated incident. If UC Berkeley students and staffers truly want to be “woke,” they need to unpack their internalized biases and recognize their own prejudices. All community members must hold themselves accountable for calling out harmful and discriminatory comments to create an inclusive environment.

The stand-up comedian, currently based in New York, has kept it simple by centering her material on everyday encounters, such as her warfare with dirty hotel rooms.