Homework 4: Microaggressions, Microinterventions, and Bias

Chosen Journal Reflection

Recently, while visiting friends of a different race, I had a casual conversation with a friend Ive known for about ten years. In the middle of reminiscing, she said, You didnt seem like youre from North Philly when we first met. You were young but so educated. She is about fifteen years older than me, so part of me wondered if there was a generational difference in how she understood what she was saying.

When she made the comment, I felt two emotions at the same time: pride and hurt. Pride because my education, confidence, and presence clearly stood out. Hurt because the statement implied that being from North Philadelphia is incompatible with being educated. It suggested that intelligence and my neighborhood do not naturally go together that I was somehow an exception.

I didnt challenge her perspective. I didnt explain why the comment felt layered. I simply smiled and said, Thank you. In that moment, it felt easier to accept the compliment than to unpack the bias beneath it. Still, the interaction stayed with me. It reminded me how deeply stereotypes about race, place, and education are embedded in everyday conversations even among people who care about us.

The experience reinforced something important, I can be proud of who I am and still acknowledge when something feels uncomfortable. Both emotions can exist at the same time.

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