I’m white (well I’m part native, but I’m white), I go to one of the most diverse colleges I know of, I’m dating a Latino, and I have white privilege.
Now my white privilege doesn’t mean I don’t face hardships, my family isn’t well off and I still face problems all women face, but none of those problems are because of my skin tone. I have never been turned down from a job because of my skin tone or hair, and I’ve never been systematically oppressed because of my complexion. I have never had the struggle that people of color have had, because I am white.
I often see comments saying “What white privilege?! I struggle and still live paycheck to paycheck! My life isn’t easy! I don’t have privilege!” To this I say, yes, you do have struggles, but are those struggles created because of your skin? Have you ever been told you were too white to be smart? Have you ever been told at work that you needed to start curling your hair because your straight hair was unprofessional (or vice versa)? Have people ever told you that you look too “ghetto”?
White privilege means that you won’t get turned down for a job for looking too “ethnic,” that your hair won’t be called “unkempt,” that you won’t be looked down on because of your skin, and that your struggles ultimately have nothing to do with your skin. Of course white people (and white passing people) have struggles, everyone have struggles, but white privilege means that your struggles are not caused by your skin color.
White privilege doesn’t make you bad or wrong, but we must acknowledge white privilege to create true equality. To create change we must listen to people who are being oppressed, because they are the people ultimately being harmed. By acknowledging white privilege we can use it to join hands with POC, hoist one another up, and say “I’m listening, tell me how to help.”