There are those moment where you are reminded. You are reminded that the way you experience life is not the way majority of people experience life. You are reminded that you are in circumstances unique to you--given advantages simply by your placement, your color and you did nothing to earn that.
White privilege was introduced to me Fall 2005 at the University of Utah in my Diversity Class. Admittedly, I listened to the idea of White Privilege but left it at that...an idea. However, in a matter of days filled with in depth discussions White Privilege moved from an idea into a reality and became my reality. One of the first articles I received was by a female author named Peggy McIntosh titled: White Privilege; Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. This concept, these facts, were very painful for me when I realized the pain it caused for those around me who were not white. White Privilege can be summarized as: The unearned, unjustified advantages not automatically afforded to people of color in this country and generally taken for granted by those of us who are classified as “white.” It is the reality that contrasts with the sincere fiction of the American myth of meritocracy, which says that everything we have must have been earned.
I still remember my professor asking the mostly white classroom,"When was the last time, here in Utah, you were described as 'the white girl?' As a person who is white, you have a name. You are referenced as Kristin, not as 'Do you know the black girl in our class?" ONE: That hadn't ever happened to me and TWO: I haven't ever even HAD to think about IF that had happened to me before this class BECAUSE ...I'm white.
Heidi Schlumpf said, "White privilege is also about what we white people don’t get: the multiple May-I-help-you’s when we enter high-end shops, always being asked for ID when we use our credit cards, the hassle of being pulled over by police officers for “driving while black.” It can be as simple as knowing that history books, greeting cards, even Band-Aids will include our skin color, or as complex as not having to worry that no matter what we do -- positive or negative -- it will not be a reflection of our entire race. No one ever says, “Isn’t it great how that white person won the Pulitzer Prize this year” or “Look at that white mass murderer.”
To counter the repulsive idea of being even remotely a racist most of us choose to share the perspective of being "color blind" or "I view us ALL the same." Though it may sound nice in theory it states you don't see their color, their culture their community. If you are in a classroom with Mexicans, Black Americans and say,"I just see kids", you are denying them their very identity.
Jamie T. Phelps of Xavier University in New Orleans stated,"The sad truth about white privilege is that it not only harms people of color, but also damages the lives, psyches and souls of white people. We need a mutual conversion from the unbalanced reality of white superiority and black inferiority, I don’t think black people and brown people are the only victims of racism. White folks are also victims of racism, but they’re in denial about it,” she said. White privilege is the other side of the coin of racism. And you’re not going to solve the problem by addressing white privilege in isolation from racism.”
In our smalls world we may construct these stories we believe to be true about racism and white privilege. We may believe or tell ourselves, "Racism is a thing of the past. Our country, in all it's advancement and progressiveness, is beyond discriminating against a person of color." The fact is it exists today as much as it ever has. There is definite improvement, but when you learn in 2001 that outside the "Parameter" in Atlanta a high school was celebrating their first integrated prom? And not because it was beyond time to have an integrated prom, but because the kids fought the administration and their parents to be granted permission to have an integrated prom...We have a long way to still go.
You can choose to read this post and never think about this concept another day in your life, but remember, to not HAVE to think about it? That's a privilege. --@DP
To learn more about White Privilege you can view the following links:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Owning Unearned White Privilege
Diversity Vs. White Privilege
Defining White Privilege
The Angry Black Woman
White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son
Whiteness in the News
2 comments:
Kristin, what a thoughtful post! I loved reading it. It applies to a training we did today on openess, respect, curiosity and accountibility in therapy. Our professor passed out post it notes of certain colors. If were had an undergraduate degree we got 3 blue post its. If you were male you got 5 red. If you were married or had children you got some. If you were considered "white" you got some. And if you owned a home you got a color. We got in a circle and would take steps into the circle depending on how many post-its you had. In the end it was mainly privileged white males in the middle of the circle. It was a powerful visual and really compliments the things discussed in your post. I have been thinking about how preceptions influence our interactions with people and you are right about not realizing the basic privileges we have by just our skin color and how people see us because of it. How do we break down these walls in our country?
Anyway, I really appreciated this post and I'm sure will be processing it more in the coming week as I think about these things a bit more deeply. Thanks! You're a smart cookie.
Hey Kristin! I think it really depends where you live...on a flip side, to me it seems like white people are at a disadvantage on so many levels. There are certain quotas that need to be filled when getting into school, so a lot of times people from different ethnic backgrounds get accepted to school just because of their ethnicity not because they necessarily have better grades. Its the same with scholarships. There are very few scholarships offered to white students. What happens if you're white and you don't come from a family that has money? There really isn't any help out there. I feel like our country really caters to the hispanic community. They are allowed to live in our country illegally with no real punishment. They are able to have healthcare insurance even though there are citizens that could greatly benefit. Now that I'm living in Puerto Rico, I'm really seeing how much we cater to other cultures in the U.S. They don't cater to us here at all. Things don't have to be in both english and spanish, even though this is a U.S. territory. In California things are always so politically correct, its just interesting to see how that really doesn't exist here in PR. I remember when taking Social Work classes in college, we were always having to think outside the box, which is great so we can be compassionate social workers, but I kind of think that people are forgetting that all white people aren't privelaged, and all white people don't have more opportunities...just something to think about.
Post a Comment