White privilege is a term that is very important in our generation right now and I’m realizing more and more that most white people don’t understand it. So, from the perspective of someone who shares a “white” experience – hopefully this will help you understand what “white privilege” exactly is and what you can do about it.
As defined by Mount Holyoke College in 2003,
“White privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis beyond those common to all others. White privilege can exist without white people’s conscious knowledge of its presence and it helps to maintain the racial hierarchy in this country.”
Basically, it means the advantages that white people get daily that we don’t even realize we are getting. Yes, these do exist and there is no denying it. A misunderstanding of white privilege is the reason we see white people crying, “All lives matter” in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. If they actually understood their own privilege and tried to understand the experiences of other races, All Lives Matter wouldn’t be there first response.
Image Courtesy of Uncustomary.org.
White privilege exists in many forms: systemic racism in the judicial system, day-to-day activities, in education, and so many other forms that I don’t have room to account for here. At Appalachian State University there is a professor who asks, “Would you rather go to court and be black and innocent or white and guilty?” Unfortunately, many times when an African American man commits the same crime as a white man, he is more likely to get arrested, charged, and incarcerated than the white man. A.K.A it’s better to be white and commit a crime than it is to be African American or Hispanic. That’s white privilege. It doesn’t make sense that the same crime would be punished differently, but often it is.
Day-to-day activities are also a place where white privilege is very prevalent. Below is a video that explains it much better than I ever could. Please watch it so that you can have a good grasp on the daily ways we as white people are privileged.
In education, white students who are equally as qualified as black students are 78% more likely to get accepted into the same university than the black student. In addition, in elementary school – young black boys are held accountable for their actions at the same age as white boys who still benefit from the idea of childhood innocence. There is no reason that two children should be held accountable in different ways simply because of their race. We have to acknowledge that this is a problem so that a solution can be developed.
Overall, white privilege exists in our society, and we as white people have a responsibility to use our privilege to help create equality. If you see an injustice taking place, call it out. Make sure that the people around know it isn’t ok that it’s happening. If you are in a position of leadership, don’t judge black and white people differently. Make a conscience effort to create an environment of equality around you. If everyone works together, this is an issue we can see end in our lifetime.
Video: https://www.facebook.com/thecosmicteacher/videos/1256930137650529/?__mref=message_bubble
Featured Image: Mira Krishnan
Sources:
https://www.propublica.org/article/deadly-force-in-black-and-white
http://jamietheignorantamerican.tumblr.com/post/72154890106/go-forth-and-educate-yourselves
http://www.jbwtucker.com/ultimate-white-privilege-statistics/