It’s Not About You or Your Feelings
Dec 05, 2024
There is a term that when used in any context will create a conversational reaction that is not unlike fishing with dynamite. It immediately reveals who is defensive regarding ideas they have little knowledge of, and can make many feel as if they are misunderstood or being accused of some heinous act that they are surely innocent of. The assumption is often made that when someone is being told they have benefitted from this concept, that they are also being called a racist. While that isn’t true, the reaction surely confirms what didn’t need to be said. This is the first step to deconstructing the racist ideologies that all white people possess and uphold.
I’m talking about white privilege.
Now, before you get agitated and formulate your response to or about me–I want you to just read until the end. This is not meant to call you out, cull you in, or make you feel less than–it is a gift.
I want you to be able receive the information I am giving to you free of charge and with very little labor involved on my part. Maybe it’s because my brain works a little bit differently, but I have never struggled to understand this term or this concept. I may have disagreed with it at first, but when all of the noise and flashing lights are silenced and shut down – it’s not just evident, it is infuriating.
So, please, stay angry. But let me change your perspective so you can understand just why you should be angry, and who you should be angry with.
(And if you reach the end and you still disagree and behave exactly how a white supremacist would behave, then I am not for you, we are not on the same team, and I refuse to ever let you forget it.)
You might suffer, but you will not suffer because you are white.
In simplest terms, white privilege has nothing to do with whether you are above or below the poverty line, are disabled, or have otherwise suffered in our lives. It only means that we will never suffer or be denied something because we are white. That’s not saying we don’t suffer, or that we aren’t denied comforts, or that we don’t experience countless unfairness and inequities. It only means that we’re not being oppressed or denied access or humanity because of the color of our skin, unlike Black people and other members of the global majority who suffer these same hardships specifically because of the color of their skin.
What white privilege does not mean is that we come from wealth or opportunity. Even the word “privilege” does not mean money or favoritism, and I think that’s what people get stuck on: connotation vs denotation.
Priv·i·lege /ˈpriv(ə)lij/ noun plural noun: privileges
a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
“education is a right, not a privilege”
This advantage exists even within intersectionality.
Socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, religion: we will always be white before anything else. We won’t be denied opportunities, face discrimination, or experience violence simply because of that. So, even if you are a white cis-gendered woman, a white trans woman, nonbinary and white, queer and white, disabled, or living below the poverty line, you still benefit from white privilege. While you may face challenges related to other aspects of your identity, your whiteness will still afford you certain advantages over others in a society built on white supremacy.
For example:
- You are less likely to be followed or harassed by store security or the police.
- You are more likely to see yourself represented positively in media and popular culture.
- You are less likely to be discriminated against in housing, employment, and education.
- Your race will not be a barrier to accessing healthcare or other essential services.
Acknowledging white privilege isn’t about guilt or shame. It’s about recognizing the unearned advantages we have received and using them to dismantle the systems that perpetuate racial inequality and inequity. It’s about understanding that our experiences are not universal and that people of color face systemic barriers that we’ve never had to consider, or experience.
This isn’t meant to guilt or shame you, it’s help you to recognize that these advantages we have all taken for granted are unearned while others were told they had to earn them–only to find goalposts moved at every opportunity. It’s about upholding white supremacy culture, racial bias, and dangerous social constructs that perpetuate the centuries long tradition of racial injustice.
It’s about understanding that we cannot and should not discredit or dismiss the experience of a marginalized person if we are not members of that group, nor did we live that experience. People of the global majority face barriers every day that you and I will never have to face. Even if we face it because of one of the other qualifiers I mentioned, when all elements are compared–we have not suffered at the hands of anyone other than other white people.
Here’s what you can do
- Listen to and believe Black people and other members of the global majority when they share their experiences with racism.
- Educate yourself about the history and ongoing effects of white supremacy culture.
- Use your privilege only to amplify marginalized voices and challenge racist behaviors and policies, without speaking over the people you are trying to help.
- Support organizations and initiatives working to dismantle systemic racism
Resources to begin your journey of identifying and checking your privilege:
- “Reclaiming Our Space” by Feminista Jones: Dr. Taylor, also known as Feminista Jones, discusses how white privilege invades feminist spaces, drowning out the voices of Black women and their traumas and concerns. A brilliant critique of white feminism and how we (white women) center our own issues in conversations that are explicitly for Black women–stealing that focus for issues that primarily affect white women.
- “Stop Actin Like That White B*tch : A Self Reflection Journal to Help You See Minding Your Business is Anti Racism Work” by Gigi Smith MSW QMHP: This is a guided journal created to assist you in navigating and unlearning harmful behaviors. Available on Amazon in paperback and hardcover.
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo: This book provides a comprehensive and accessible guide to navigating conversations about race and racism.
- “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad: Another workbook that will challenge you to examine your own biases and you are an unwitting accomplice to white supremacy.
- “Sister Outsider” by Audre Lorde: This collection of essays and speeches explores intersectional feminism, sexism, racism, homophobia, classism – from the mind of Audra Lorde, self-described as “Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet”
It’s time to work–Let’s keep going!
If you have any questions or require clarifications, comment below — I am happy to help you navigate!
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