Thoughts on White Privilege

“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group”

Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, 1988

It occurs to me that, like so many things, something can be considered offensive or unpleasant if you choose to see it that way. Some take perverse pleasure in getting offended and equal pleasure in talking ad nauseum about how upset they are until the original point is lost and the conversation centers around the person who’s been offended. I think that’s a real waste of time.

I believe that some people have chosen to look at the phrase ‘white privilege’ and the word ‘reparations’ in negative terms. They choose to be offended and assume that guilt is being assigned. For some people that may be true. I do agree that there is a contingent of finger pointers who too have lost the point and would prefer to wallow in anger and hatred, which only continues to deepen the divide between the races.

I think we should look at these ideas in a dfferent way.

I do believe that for white people, especially white men, there is an unstated advantage in this country and in this world that few acknowledge. Never having walked in the shoes of anyone who has been kept down due to sex, skin color, disability, language skills, ethnicity, race – how could there be any understanding? Even a white man living in poverty will have a better chance of advancement than a black man in the same situation. That has been proven to be true of federal/state aid after devastation of home and community from extreme weather. Some black communities are still abandoned to many years after Katrina because certain conditions couldn’t be overcome to for aid to be received for the rebuilding of homes and businesses.

I do not believe that white privilege means that we, as white people, have been given everything we want and need on a silver platter. That certainly isn’t true of anyone I know.

However, I do think my life and the lives of the people I know have been privileged in so many ways.

We have never had to wonder when or even if we would eat. We knew that food was always available and that we would never go hungry. I have taught children whose only meals were at school, during the week. Whether they had much to eat or even anything to eat over at other times was never clear. There is a reason so many schools have free and reduced lunches – some families simply can’t afford to feed their children properly and pay all their other bills.

We never had to wonder where we would be living. We knew our homes were safe and secure. We knew we had a place bathe and a comfortable place to sleep. I have taught children who were moved about so often we never knew when they would be in school or if they had transferred to a different school. They moved from place to place, never knowing how long they would be in each place, never knowing who would be ‘caring’ for them. Notice I don’t use the word ‘home’ here. They never lived in homes. This transience was not always due to neglect; many times the families were evicted and had to find shelter wherever they could.

We never had to wonder if our parents would be there for us. We knew that someone would be home, supervising our lives and making sure we were staying on the right path. We knew that our parents and our extended families would always support us and help us through any difficulty and celebrate any achievement. I have taught children whose parents were drug addicts, alcoholics, in prison, or just simply not able to be present in their lives. They barely acknowledged their children’s existence and certainly weren’t able to help or support them through any difficulty. Celebration of achievement was nonexistent. And again, this was not always due to neglect. In many cases time or energy were expended working several jobs to support their families; none was left over for emotional support.

We never had to wonder if the time we spent on our education, in studying, learning, appreciating music and art was wasted time. We knew that all those pursuits would enrich our lives. We always knew that we could do anything we put our minds to, and the world would welcome those efforts. I have taught children who never had a book in their homes, were never read to, never attended a concert or a play. Those children, who have been called unmotivated, didn’t know, and were never told, that education would get them somewhere in life, that education was worth the time and effort. They knew for certain that, even if they did work hard and get good grades and even if they had the desire to pursue education beyond high school, the money wouldn’t be there to make that possible. Applications for grants and loans would never be filled out by absent parents or parents/guardians too busy working to take the time or who were simply unable to navigate that process. Those children knew that they would need to work to support themselves and probably their families as well. They knew that to take the time and to spend the money on education would not be possible; affording a home, food, transportation would be the priorities. If you know that your chances for education and advancement are practically nonexistent, motivation fades quickly.

If a child is hungry, tired, living in a stressful situation and just barely making it through the day, how can we possibly expect them to be motivated or even able to learn and better their lives? They are trying to get through each day, and in so many cases, that’s all they can do.

So, when people talk about white privilege, I believe they SHOULD mean that we have always been privileged to never have the worries that consume so many people today, especially young people. We are privileged to be able to take all the blessings of our lives for granted.

As far as reparations are concerned, I believe that whatever needs repairing in this world should be repaired. In this time in our country, the first step to repairing the horrible divide between races is to take the time and make the effort and spend the money to help Black communities by giving their young people unequal opportunity – giving an abundance of help and support to bring their chances in this world on par with others. In so doing, those young people will be better prepared to face the world and to bring a new, refreshed energy to their own communities. That’s how change happens.

One small drop of a pebble can and will have ripple effects throughout the entire pond.

Not much has changed in the 33 years since Peggy McIntosh’s groundbreaking article on White Privilege was published, except that awareness of the inequalities suffered by people of color, women, those in the LGBTQ community, and those with disabilities has grown more acute. With this awareness, we have started to make the effort to change this inequity in our country. It has been troubling and unsettling, to be sure, but most revolution and extreme change is just that. However, that doesn’t mean the efforts shouldn’t continue and grow stronger. It does mean those efforts should be doubled, tripled, increased as much as possible so that change can happen that much faster.

I believe the most overwhelming need at this time that should be addressed is the inequality suffered by those people of color. The right thing for the church* to do now is to spend time and money to aid Black communities. I’m sure the programs for aid will expand as they are shown to have a positive effect. We have to have the faith that the programs will work and that they will effect change and growth and hope.

Faith through works and works in Christ’s name – this is the duty of every human on the planet.