Racism and discrimination have always been a relentless conflict in our society. It’s an evident obstacle that has been a part of The United States’ history and is still a part of today’s society. Most people are not oblivious to the fact that racism and discrimination exist, but have yet to familiarize themselves with the term microaggression. Microaggression is a form of discrimination that is often more subtle than overt racism and may be unintentional. In Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” she details a variety of racial/cultural offenses that create a sense of marginality in her life as an African ­American. Similarly, in Alex Haley’s “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” he describes many racial problems African Americans are conflicted with throughout his lifetime by telling us through his personal experience. Microaggression is a more harmful form of discrimination than overt racism because it is sometimes said or done unintentionally and is not recognized as a wrongful action meaning it can be overlooked by society and interpreted as normal behavior.
“You are late, you nappy-­headed ho” (Rankine 41). These were the words said to the author by a white woman who was her friend. Rankine immediately took offense to this and was appalled to the precise set of words that had came out of her friends mouth. She was in shock as that person had never referred to her in that way and responded, what did you say? The woman could not find a way to repeat herself, possibly because she felt the discomfort and disbelief in Rankine's voice after hearing the culturally insensitive remark she had just made. Rankine then proceeds to thinking that perhaps her statement was irrelevant and she simply was referring to the stereotype of “black people time” by using what she assumed to be “black people language”. Her friend kept reassuring her that it was a joke and she