Gaskin: We Speak of ‘White Privilege’
Monday, January 26, 2015
Jennifer Gaskin, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTERâ„¢
"Not every white person is a racist, but the genius of racism is that you don’t have to participate to enjoy the spoils. If you’re white, you can be completely oblivious, passively accepting the status quo, and reap the rewards." – Mychal Denzel Smith,( White People Have to Give Up Racism) February 14, 2013.
During the January 13, 2015, Worcester City Council meeting the topic of “privilege” came up. A couple of the City Councilors attempted to address the accusation of privilege through stories about less than privileged upbringings. One even shared a story of the police coming to his home at a very young age after his mother had been assaulted by his father. While their stories certainly pulled at the heart strings and are stories that reflect that there is hope for pulling yourself up out of a negative situation, they were not a response to the type of “privilege” that the audience was speaking of. The audience was speaking of “white privilege.”
When minorities speak of “white privilege” they speak of the privileges afforded Caucasian members of society just based on the color of their skin. Unfortunately, white privilege is a part of American society. Likely a byproduct of slavery and minorities, specifically people of African and Native American heritage being considered less than human. To be born Caucasian instead of Black, Native American, Hispanic, Asian, etc. means that the experience of the Caucasian/White person is going to be less challenging than the life of someone who is born as a minority. Something as simple as purchasing a “flesh toned” band aid or a “nude” pair of stockings reminds us that minorities are not considered equally. Our society continues to see a white majority, while minority groups, continue to feel excluded, restricted, and singled out.
It is still a fact in America, that police officers will treat a black person differently in a routine stop. In fact, in an Oakland NAACP report it was reported that “out of 45 officer-involved shootings in the city between 2004 and 2008, 37 of those shot were back. None were white. One-third of the shootings resulted in fatalities.” The NAACP report goes on to state that 40% of the victims were unarmed and 0% of the officers were charged. The tendency here is to rationalize this response and not accept the obvious that racism and white privilege were at play. The Michael Brown shooting and the subsequent decision not to charge Officer Darren Wilson remind us that white privilege is still a day to day reality for minorities in this country. Whether Michael Brown was guilty of stealing a $2 cigarette from a store; first that does not make him a thug, and second we have a justice system that is supposed to determine guilt or innocence. Furthermore, Officer Wilson was not aware of the alleged theft at the time of his encounter with Mr. Brown. Enter White privilege, pre-existing biases, racism, and now we have a young man dead and an Officer’s life.
There are other forms of privilege. There is male privilege, one percent privilege or very rich privilege, privileges based on one’s age, disability, sexual orientation, and religion. Socioeconomic privilege is an issue that overlaps racial privilege because they are often interconnected. Americans tend not to want to discuss either since we claim ourselves to be the “land of opportunity” for all.
However, if you consider that one of the largest indicators of any type of privilege is a direct correlation to financial wealth or socioeconomic status, it is a conversation that we need to have. The continued perpetuation of these biases prevents us from achieving full equality in our society. We must be aware of all forms of privilege and commit to speaking out whether we benefit from it or not. It is the only way to be put an end to systematic racism and discrimination of all kinds.