Subtle Acts of Exclusion, Second Edition

This new edition of the first practical, nonjudgmental handbook on dealing with microaggressions has been thoroughly updated for the post George Floyd, post COVID world.

While overt discrimination is relatively easy to spot, we cannot neglect the less obvious actions that make people feel left out or stigmatized in our workplaces.

Commonly called microaggressions, this book offers a clearer, more accurate term: subtle acts of exclusion (SAE). After all, people generally aren’t trying to be aggressive–usually they’re trying to say something nice, learn more about a person, or be funny. But whether in the form of stereotypes, assumptions, backhanded compliments, or objectification, SAEs are damaging to our coworkers, friends, and acquaintances.

Originally published in 2020, this new edition has been thoroughly updated. Remote work created new forms of SAEs—insisting that everybody turn on their Zoom cameras, for example. As did the movement for racial justice—well-meaning white people assumed that Black people were always willing to help them “do the work.” 

Along with tools, sample scripts, and action plans, this second edition will also include an activity and discussion guide, and the existing chapter on actions that create a sense of belonging—what the authors call Intentional Acts of Inclusion—has been greatly expanded.