I’m white and broke. I don’t feel like I have white privilege. Does white privilege have to do with the fact that whites were the majority in the population? For instance, do people in predominantly black nations have “black privilege,” brown nations have “brown privilege,” Asian nations, “Asian privilege,” and so on?
Signed,
I really wanna know
Dear, I really wanna know:
While I can understand how you might have arrived at this question, I do think you are missing some information that, had you learned it, would have prevented your question.
According to American scholar and activist Peggy McIntosh, white privilege is defined as:
The unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed upon people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it. (Peggy McIntosh. “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women Studies.
A quick swoop through Google tells us that white privilege is not limited to America alone. So, as I type this, there is no “brown privilege,” etc. History has proven that minorities, immigrants of color and other marginalized populations have struggled against the stronghold of privilege white people possess all over the world. For instance, the United Nations’ website notes that Brazil was the last country in the Western hemisphere to abolish the slavery of Black people who were taken from Africa; umcjustice.org states that White Europeans are privileged over POC in their society. I could keep going, but I invite you to do the work and research needed to better understand what you are wondering about, and more importantly, the intricacies of your question.
Privilege is not predicated on ethnicity alone. It is a far deeper reality that has to do with the history of subjugating other human beings.
White privilege, in this instance, is less about the color of a person’s skin and more about the privileges that have been afforded to the white population. The white population in America was never enslaved to the degree that the black population was. I say “to the degree” because there were some instances of white slavery, but black people, as an entire race, were treated as slaves and denigrated. That being the case, white people, around the time of black people’s enslavement, had privilege–afforded to them as a race because of the color of their skin.
Besides not being owned by anyone, white people could live where they wanted, do what they wanted, work where they wanted, and they could also influence the learnings of the generations of all people regardless of race. They were not held back in any capacity, and many of them were encouraged to ensure they kept the black race under their thumb.
The old comparison and hugely misunderstood question that you brought up is: if I am a white person but am broke and can’t get a leg up. I can’t get a better-paying job, etc., then how do I have white privilege?
Well, then, we are talking about the fact that a white person who is broke and so on will have an easier time coming out of poverty. A black person will not have as easy of a time because of how they are largely perceived, because of their skin color, their history, because systemic and tacit racism still exists throughout America and the world today. If you have advantages due to the color of your skin, you are privileged.
But remember, this is not the only reason for your advantage. Don’t forget the history behind the privilege–or the fact that many people are hurting in very real ways because of it. Check yourself before asking any questions that could be seen as massively offensive and that could cause deep pain we can’t begin to fathom. Lead your discussions around the points of history, ongoing pain, racial bias, societal perceptions, systemic oppression, wrongful imprisonment, the slow eradication of issues such as red-lining, historic white-washing, black people being murdered, police brutality, etc. White privilege is far more than skin deep.
We can fight all day long about it, but white privilege is rooted in fact and history. We know red-lining exists. We know that black people are imprisoned at a higher rate than white people (Pew Research Center). We know that prejudice exists. This is where our education begins–accepting what is fact.
Additionally, if we haven’t experienced it, that doesn’t make it not true. It is a white person’s job to believe, listen, help, research credible sources to educate us, and be a voice (when we are asked to) for people who need us. It is our job to go deeper to find the truth of the histories that were buried and kept from us. As a white person, offering support in this way to influence the equal treatment of humans is one of the most important roles of my life. I hope if you find yourself relating here, that you will also take this responsibility to heart.
It is jarring to learn this truth, and it can make us feel defensive and angry. These are very normal feelings. Sometimes they prevent people from doing the work because they feel like they are being positioned as the bad guy. For there to be healing and acceptance of all, we have to work past these feelings and focus on the bigger picture. Our feelings, as relevant as they are, don’t begin to compare to the ancestral wounds of this population. I can step away from them, distract myself from them, choose the level of pain I wish to feel, and so on. Black people cannot.
Since I can choose how deeply I integrate this issue into my life, I am privileged. I am also White. I hope this was the explanation you needed and that you will continue to educate yourself to learn even more about what you can do to help resolve this issue.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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