"White Privilege" - Why It Matters That We Know

       Why is it so hard for us (men and women who are white) to embrace and acknowledge the so called term - "White Privilege"?

     If we're all honest, it is hard. For some of us, in fact, many of us, it's still something we find incredibly hard to understand and at our worst it's something we will fight against.

    So why?

   We struggle to grasp and or accept the idea that because of the color of our skin we have privileges that some people don't because it goes against the very notion of what we have been taught as American's. To so many, being called out for your privilege is anti the 'American Dream'.

    The American Dream - that anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, age, weight, etc can do anything in this country if they work hard enough, if they do enough, and if they "pick themselves up by their bootstraps."

     It sounds so good - If I work hard, I will get what I deserve. If I put in the time like everyone else, I will earn what is coming to me. But if I fail to reach my goals, and to experience all that the American Dream has to offer, it must be because I haven't worked hard enough or done enough things right enough of the time.


        Here is what we need to all understand - White Privilege is not a bad thing! Let me say it again: your privilege based on the color of your skin is not an evil thing, in fact, it's a blessing you have been given by God to be used for the good of others. You are not a bad person for having privilege!

    So why does it matter? 

     It matters because not everyone has the same privilege that you do - not everyone is offered the same rights, spaces, and abilities that you have, simply because of the way they look.

    Let me explain:

White Privilege reveals itself in a number of complex and at times, very simply ways - for example:

   - If you've never had to think about what someone thinks of you when you walk into a room full off people who do not look like you, that is a privilege. 

  - If you've never had to search extra hard for a book or a movie written or acted by someone that looks like you, that is a privilege. 

  - If you've never had to make sure you got a hard copy of your rental car receipt just in case an officer pulls you over and questions if you stole the car or not, that is a privilege. 

  - If the majority of politicians, teachers, and law enforcement look like you, that is a privilege. 

  - If the school you went to had access to the highest degree of tools, education, teachers, and programs, that is a privilege. 

  - The list is endless 

*** can I make a slight side-not on this? Privilege is not constrained just to color, there is privilege in age, ability, gender, and much more. I have never once thought about how I would going to get into a public building because it is always accessible to me, but for some, that thought is a daily occurrence. You get the point, I just don't want anyone to think that "white privlege" is the only privilege, it is just the one I desired to write about. 


   Now, if the first response in your head is one of defensiveness, I would encourage you to ask yourself why. Why are you defensive? Have you had your own struggles in life? Of course. Did you work hard to get to where you are? Yes, and no one is questioning that, but there is a deeper narrative that exists in our country for the majority and minority.

   Imagine it this way - you and I both grow up and want to be professional golfers. We both at the age of 9 have equal abilities and talents. But I get a set of brand new clubs, the best money can buy. My parents also have the privilege of being able to afford private lessons once a week and they are able to afford a membership at one of the nicest clubs in the area. You on the other hand are given an old set of clubs, not a full set but you make it work. You can only play twice a week at the local public course because it's the most you can afford and you don't have the ability to get there more than twice weekly.

  Now, wouldn't it be unfair of me to tell you that the reason I am better than you is because I worked harder? You worked as hard as you could, with everything you had, but I simply had the privilege of more time and resources at my disposal to help me.

  This is privilege - It's a blessing that I had so much help along the way and I sure as heck worked hard, but I would not be where I am today if I was in the same place as you.



   So what do we do? 

 It's not enough to simply acknowledge that your privilege exists - to acknowledge it but do nothing about it only facilitates the problem. It's like saying you see a problem but you don't want to fix it. What you can do it start looking for areas of your life that you have privilege and leverage that for those who do not.

   As a white male in our society, I am given a since of respect and a platform that others are not. In a room full of other white people, I can say what I want when I want and how I want and people will accept it - but my friends of color or even my female friends in the room may not have that privilege. But I can step down from my platform and raise my friends up to it - I can level the playing field. And I should!


Imagine this for a second:

    You're staring at a restaurant door with a glass window on the top half. On the outside of that door hangs a sign that reads, "We Welcome Short People", and on the outside of the door you see a group of very short people reaching for the handle. The only problem is they are too short to reach it. They want to get in, and the owners "accept" them, but unless the owners open the door for them, the people who are too short to reach the handle will be stuck on the outside. We need to open doors, not just post signs. We need to level the playing field, not simply invite people to it. We need to use our privilege for what it is, a blessing that can be used to serve those who do not have it. 

   Let me finish with a few things that hinder the ability of those who may not have the same privilege's as you:

  - Saying, "Anyone can make it if they try hard enough." It encourages the notion that "those" people are doing it wrong and "we" are doing it right

  - Using the phrase, "Yea, But." When someone posses an issue to you and your response is, "yea, but", all you've done is pretended to hear them and searched for a reason to discredit what they are saying. For instance, when a young black man is unjustly killed by a police officer, saying, "yea, but look at how many black people kill each other", is not an adequate response, it's a deflection of a real problem. 

 - Saying that Christians, or anyone for that matter shouldn't talk about religion and politics. This is a privilege that many white people have. Laws enacted in your state and country often do not effect you, and if you choose to "not talk about them" you are often no worse off. But for many people of color, religion and politics go hand and hand. The laws enacted around them effect them daily and to not have the space to talk about them only serves to marginalize them more. 

 - Expecting people of color and marginalized groups to meet you half way - to educate you on the problems you do not see. If you want to know how you can fight racial injustice, systemic oppression and white privilege, read some books, get online and do your homework. Don't make a person who lives these issues everyday recount all the things they deal with. It's not the job of the oppressed to reconcile the wrongs against them, it the job of those in power! 

 - And lastly, with everything in me, stop remaining silent in the space you are in. When your uncle Marty spews racists remarks knowingly or unknowingly, it gives a platform to racism and oppression and you need to speak up. Of course it's uncomfortable, and of course it's going to have consequence's but if you don't, you are just holding a sign up outside the door and never opening it. And let me be clear, when you need to confront someone about the things they are saying in a public manner, your goal isn't to change that person's mind, you won't. You're speaking up so that every other person in the room knows that you won't stand for the things being said and that you do not agree. The other people in the room need to hear that it's wrong. If you get to have a private conversation with that person, that's great, but you're really speaking to the bystanders. 

Empower those around you - Seek out ways to fight for the justice of your friends - be able to be wrong and know that it's ok! 

Response -

   If you read this and have questions, reach out to me! I would love to chat about this topic as it is complex and hard to wrap your mind around at times. Don't shy away from hard conversations, send me a message and lets talk!

   If you have experienced either side of white privilege, be it your own, or lack there of, how has that shaped your view of the world? What experiences have you had? I would love to know!

      In Christ,
            Jeremiah