After listening to the live stream of the Board of Regents meeting with The Collective for Change on The Hill, my friends and I rushed over to Regents to attend “Understanding Privilege and Moving Toward an Anti-Oppressive White Identity.” With all the recent events that have unfolded on campus, such as the protest and sleep-in in Buntrock, and the sit-in in Tomson, the lecture by Professor Susan Smalling, PhD. could not have been more perfectly timed. When the protests first began, I, like many other Oles, felt strongly about the movement. Even though Professor Smalling’s lecture was designed for those who identity as white, I believe that knowing more about how white privilege shapes the world we live in is important, regardless of the color of your skin. So, here are a five major ideas I picked out from Professor Smalling’s lecture that you should know about white privlege.
1.) Certain cultural norms/identities tend to dominate/hold privilege
So, who holds the privilege? In the world we live in, those who hold the privilege are Christian, white, heterosexual males. Those who are a part of this group often dominate government, law-making bodies, organizations, and educational institutions. If you do not identify as a part of this group, then you do not have privlege. This non-privileged group includes racial minorities, religious minorities, and women. And this is how it has been for hundreds of years. Something to note though is that this system of privilege has existed before us.
2.) Privilege is Power
Written by the Department of Social Work, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, privilege can be defined as “unearned advantages enjoyed by a particular group simply because of membership in that group.” In the context of white privilege, just being white alone gains one a large amount of advantages in the form of not only power, but resources as well. Privilege is invisible to those who enjoy them, and visible to those to whom it is denied.
3.) Privilege is a System
Privilege can be found everywhere. In institutions such as healthcare, criminal justice, financial, education, media, housing; privilege is alive and well. For example, on many college campuses across America, the president is usually an older, white male. At many colleges, those who hold privilege are often promoted and given tenure status faster than those who are not privileged.
Outside of education, one example of privilege can also be seen in cocaine laws. In the United States, those caught with crack cocaine are given harsher sentences than those caught with powdered cocaine. Crack cocaine is mostly used by people of color, while powdered cocaine is used mostly by white people. Many people believe this law unjustly targets people of color.
4.) Privilege is Personal
When you have privilege, you are able to feel “at home” in the world. For example, in today’s entertainment industry, a majority of the stars we see on the big screen are white. Many of the magazines we read feature a white person on the cover more often than a person of color. And many of the leaders we see in our government are just as homogenous. These examples are a product of racism and many white people benefit from this machine.
However, something important to point out is that not all white people benefit equally from racism. Privilege is personal. For example, a white person living in an affluent suburb may experience a different level of privilege than a white person living in a poor inner-city neighborhood.
5.) If You Identify as White, Use Your Privilege to Help Others
Racism is not the fault of our white friends, family, or colleagues. They did not create the system of racism, it was already there. However, they still are accountable for what they do with their privilege. To help fight racism, one thing white people can do is become a White Ally. One of the most important things a White Ally does is listen. So, if you identify as white, listen to what the people of color around you are saying and take it seriously. Yes, it may be uncomfortable. However, it is when we are most uncomfortable that we learn the most.
Here is a link with more information about how to become a White Ally.
Image Sources: Thumbnail Image- Photo by Bart Everson (license), Image 1- Photo by Emanu via Facebook