Are Microinsults Examples of Color-Aroused Antagonism?

Ten years ago, when I was working for a non-profit as managing attorney, I led a group of stakeholders to speak with a state representative from our city. I introduced myself as an attorney, passed him my business card with said "Project Attorney" (or something to that effect) and which included the name of the national agency for which I worked.

The white Portuguese-descendent state representative said to me, "You're an attorney?"

I confirmed that I was and explained in greater detail the purpose of our discussion with him. Once again, and several more times, he said, "You're an attorney?"

I honestly don't know whether it was my Black wing-tipped shoes, my blue woolen business suit, my overcoat or my red tie or my skin color that made him so doubtful of my bona fides. But I do know that it would be extremely unusual and insulting for a state representative to ask a white man repeatedly if he is actually a lawyer, effectively announcing his suspicion that the lawyer had perhaps lied on the several previous occasions over the last fifteen minutes when the question was asked before.

Since I cannot think of a single other reason why this state representative would repeatedly ask me what he did, in spite of the nine other community activists who were with me, effectively attesting to the nature of my employment, and the reason I had been chosen to lead the group, I have to conclude that this was a skin color-aroused antagonistic behavior that Carl C. Bell, M.D. would refer to as a microinsult.