Battling Institutional Microaggressions: Joy, a Diné Woman's Lived Experiences at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

• In Event: 66.057 - Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 66.057-2 - Indigenous Wombyn's Cultural Strength Navigating Institutional Power

Abstract

From private to public, from small to large, over 50 campus protests and demonstrations have risen to address systemic racism. However, there is limited scholarship on how Native Americans must also contend with microaggressions. In this study, we document and provide a case study of Joy, a Diné (Navajo) self-identified young woman and her experiences at a major university in the Southwest. We utilize Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit) to address issues of Native identity. By analyzing the institutional microaggressions that Joy experiences, we articulate how one’s culture is a source of strength and how she uses activism to overcome these racial microaggressions.

Authors

• Andrea Abeita, University of New Mexico

• Shiv Raj Desai, University of New Mexico