12 2.4: Macroaggressions: Overt and Systemic Racism

While microaggressions are often subtle and indirect, macroaggressions refer to more overt, systemic forms of racism that occur at an institutional or societal level. These include discriminatory policies, practices, or structures within institutions that create barriers for Black individuals. In healthcare and dietetics, macroaggressions can manifest through unequal access to opportunities, biased hiring practices and student recruitment, or educational systems that fail to address the cultural needs of Black students and practitioners (Henry & Tator, 2010; Braveman et al., 2022).

Physical or verbal assaults such as racially motivated violence of using a racial slur are also examples of macroaggression.

Can you tell the difference? Identify the micro and macroagression in this real example:

One striking example comes from a Black RD student who described her experience in Canadian dietetics program. She recalled how her peers used derogatory terms to describe certain types of music created by Black artists. She also felt uncomfortable by their frequent requests to touch her hair, sometimes a person’s hand would be in her hair before they asked. They questioned her cultural background with phrases like, “Where are really you from?” Furthermore, her classmates routinely labelled the only Black instructor as “intimidating” without any valid reason, acknowledging their bias but failing to address it (Jabar, 2020). These comments were never confronted, leaving the student feeling unsafe and hesitant to challenge the racism she experienced.

These few examples highlight the ways in which Black students and professionals are subjected to both micro and macroaggressions in academic and professional environments. The failure to address these behaviours perpetuates a culture of silence and complicity, where racism is allowed to persist without consequence (NCCDH, 2018; ACLRC, n.d.). This creates an environment where Black individuals often feel the need to suppress their concerns to avoid further marginalization (Henry & Tator, 2010).