'I can already see and pick up on the cues' UMD NAACP discusses microaggressions and racism

Junior Jordan Cooper talks about his personal experiences with microaggressions during a University of Maryland NAACP chapter meeting (Tariq Jernigan)

Microaggressions and overt racism at the University of Maryland have been long-running problems according to the University of Maryland's NAACP chapter. The organization hosted a meeting to discuss the issues and how to address them.

Jordan Cooper, an active member of the NAACP chapter and a junior at this university started off the meeting by asking members if they felt like they were seen on campus.

Diving directly into students' personal experiences of microaggression and overt racism on campus event goers had a lot to share. This university has a black president and many black professors but still there are problems on campus.

“[This university has] a black president. They have black professors. But I think that racism isn't ‘we're gonna call you the N word.’ It's more like microaggressions,” said freshman Dorran Mitchell.

Allyship was a key topic of discussion. Some members such as journalism major Tendai Murray felt like a lot of the allyship they received has been “really performative.”

Those in attendance also went over the different ways that they navigate through microaggressions at this school.

Lulit Shewan, president of the NAACP chapter at this university, said she experienced microaggressions in her business classes. Shewan reflected on how peers would often turn away from her while doing group work or discussion. If her classmates did talk to her, they would keep it very short and surface level, the president said.

“I can already see and pick up on the cues on microaggressions that they think I'm not a nice person or that I'm not talkative, or I don't want to hear them out,” Shewan said.

Murray spoke about the minimal number of black students who are in her classes. Running into early problems with an on-campus publication made her question why her editor didn't respect her.

“He didn't show me respect. And I never wanted to say it was because of my race, but I always felt like it was,” Murray said.

Sometimes the microaggressions can be physical in nature. Computer Science major Aaron Price discussed how often it feels like white people don’t see him. Oftentimes when walking to class Price says he has to walk in the grass because they don’t make any room for him to walk.

President of the Maryland State Conference for Youth and College Dorien Rogers shared his experiences about when he was in college at Salisbury University.

“I've had professors say the N word in front of me, and assume that my mother was a single mother,” Rodgers said.

Many said felt comfort in knowing that what they were going through wasn’t only happening to them but also questioned what changes this university needs to make to ensure that all students feel accepted.

“Everything is catered towards our larger demographic, which are white students,” Shewan said. “Our administration has never necessarily catered to our needs.”