Microaggressions are commonplace verbal or behavioral slights that express derogatory attitudes regarding an individual’s race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality; they may be made consciously or unconsciously. When unintentional, microaggressions can be considered a manifestation of implicit biases, as their internalized prejudicial thought processes are expressed outwardly in the…

When I was an exchange student in Hong Kong two years ago, I learned that in Asia, some people (usually the older generation) assume that to be “American” is to be white. In Hong Kong, I chatted with some elderly Chinese and told them I was an exchange student from the…