The Pride Center hosted an event discussing microaggressions and how to deal with them on Thursday.

The discussion was led by Professor Ryan Perez Adame, the Pride Center faculty coordinator. He started his presentation explaining to the audience what microaggressions are and how to deal with them when someone uses them in a conversation.

Microaggressions are “everyday, verbal or nonverbal comments or slights that may be intentional or not,” Adame said. “You might not be aware of them.”

He explained the effect microaggressions can have on someone over time.

“Microaggressions can feel like a thousand little cuts,” Adame said. “They can take a toll on us.”

Adame explained an effective way to respond to someone using a microaggression during a conversation.

“Try to appeal to their values,” Adame said. “Say, ‘I think you are a good person, but there is something you have been taught that is making you believe it is okay to talk that way.’”

Chris Bombard, a 19-year-old architecture major, discussed how the presentation was useful for him.

“It’s really hard to understand when you are committing a microaggression,” Bombard said. “It helps to learn more about it, so you don’t accidentally offend someone the next time you are talking to them.”

Dylan Schultz, a 20-year-old business administration major, said the presentation challenged him, and helped him to not make mistakes in conversation with anyone.

“I originally came for an extra credit assignment, but a lot of people didn’t want to do it because of the subject matter,” Schultz said. “It gave me more reason to want to go, to not be ignorant and make stupid mistakes around people I care about.”