A white person may think that they are giving a compliment that they themselves wouldn’t mind receiving. But calling a person of color “articulate” is a microaggression rooted in the racist belief that people of color are not expected to be articulate. The fact that so many are unaware of why this (and other similar “compliments”) constitute a microaggression is only further proof of the need for white as well as other people with privilege to develop awareness
