I don’t know what I don’t know, but what I do know is that every single day is an opportunity to learn and grow and be a better human than I was the day before. Period. Turning a blind eye to the injustices happening around us is not a privilege. It’s a cowardly copout.
I have strived to gain a deeper and richer understanding of those injustices, and it all started with a simple question posed to my friends of color and their family members, “What do people of color wish white people had a better understanding of?”
This one question opened the door to hours of beautiful and productive conversations that would widen my eyes and tear open my heart. I can’t reduce those important conversations into one article, so I’m going to take one bite at a time. Today’s bite … white
Today’s bite … white privilege. By the way, the irony is not lost on me that I am privileged with never being asked to speak for all the people of my race.
Let’s start with what white privilege is NOT. It is NOT a suggestion that white people haven’t struggled. Many white people do not enjoy the luxuries that come with relative affluence or access to resources. If this is you, don’t let
If this is you, don’t let those experiences derail you from the conversation, because you certainly aren’t an exception to the benefits of your white race. White privilege does NOT mean white people haven’t worked hard for what they have. Privilege is not synonymous with work ethic.
Here are a couple very small examples of what white privilege IS. After all, we (white people) have the luxury of going through life without giving thought to these simple privileges. For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of a young child of color as she navigates the same world you live in. Where you see grocery store shelves overflowing with “hair care” products tailored to your hair, she sees a small section (if any at all) with a sign that reads “ethnic hair products.” Where you see a band aid that matches your skin tone to hide your wound, she sees another reminder that she doesn’t belong.
When we are able to recognize our own white privilege, we begin to create a more compassionate, safe and fair world for our children and the generations that follow.
