Cross‐Racial Microaffirmations: Concepts and Applications

Highlights the significance and imbalance of cross-racial microaffirmations (CRMs)—everyday acts and messages of allyship that extend beyond customary and social workplace expectations and that protect or strengthen individuals’ sense of mattering in relation to their racial identity. It further outlines the conceptual boundaries of CRMs, and identity concepts from areas such as positive psychology, multiculturalism, and social justice, that delineate CRMs’ foundations. Implications are addressed, including the incorporation of CRMs into anti-racist efforts across fields such as education, healthcare, psychotherapy, and organizational settings. Authors urge future research and development of a CRM scale. Copyright: 2025

This product is not included in the APA Unlimited CE program.

New York state psychologists: This program is not currently in compliance with the unique requirements imposed by the New York State Board of Education for New York licensed psychologists CE.

• Define cross-racial microaffirmations.
• Outline the conceptual boundaries of CRMs.
• Identify foundational concepts from positive psychology, multiculturalism, and social justice.
• Clarify a typology of CRMs including microrecognitions, microtransformations, and microprotections.
• Explain the need for a CRM scale, assess the effectiveness of CRMs in anti-racist training, and evaluate applications of CRMs in diverse settings.

• Y. Joel Wong, Andres E. Perez-Rojas, and Jonathan Kang, Indiana University Bloomington
• Hsiu-Lan Cheng, University of San Francisco
• Julie M. Koch, The University of Iowa

This Continuing Education program is in partnership with the Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology).