Just the other day, in my women’s studies course, Gender, Race, and Class, we began the class with a bit of a controversial discussion relating to white people and the N-word. Discussions ensued about the topic, and as you can imagine, there were some differences of opinion. The discussion then progressed into the topic of white privilege.
Now, let me give you a little bit of perspective. In this course, there is a group of approximately only 14 students, including myself. Of all those students there are only two people of color — myself, and another student who is a transfer.
Ironically enough, it seemed as though the majority of the other students understood the concept of white privilege and recognized that they had it. One person, however, did not.
This person claimed that white privilege isn’t really a “thing,” as we are all born with the same rights and have the same opportunity to accomplish the same goals. They argued that they have known white people who have never had a home and have struggled financially their entire lives and they have equally known people of color who become very successful in life and have never worried about finances. That, they argued, refutes the idea that white people tend to have some kind of upper hand.
To refute this, the other person of color in the room and I offered examples of how white privilege exists in our society, to no further understanding from the person. More impactful, however, was the example illustrated by another white person, in which she told us a story of an experience she had at a local Starbucks.
She explained that in her experience, she entered into a Starbucks and ordered coffee, and as she was waiting for her coffee, she found herself standing in front of two police officers also waiting for coffee. She expressed that in realizing the two cops were in her presence, she “felt a little safer than [she] had before.” And for a second, she said she thought about her position in that moment and realized her own privilege, for in that moment, she was released of any fear.
In contrast, this is not something that can be said by many people of color, who in light of a growing number of cases of police brutality live in fear of being caught “walking while [insert non-white adjective here].”
Despite this illustration, the person aforementioned still could not recognize there was any privilege, insisting that I have the same opportunity as them, regardless of the color of my skin or the ethnicity of my parents.
The issue they failed to realize is that this, in fact, is not true. Though perhaps, in theory, it may be true that I was born with the exact same rights and opportunity, in essence, in the very substance that makes me who I am, that is not the case.
The person of color’s reputation has forever been tainted into being “the other” and “less” than a white person, and this reputation has successfully, psychologically infiltrated the minds of every member of society, including people of color themselves, through historical social constructs.
That is the realization that dawned on me altogether. Even if I work hard enough, end up in the same places, do the same jobs, it will never mean the same. It will never be interpreted the same. Many flaws will be found to condition and diminish my success. It will never be as praiseworthy.
It’s like the resume experiment. Two identical resumes and different names, one white and one ethnic-sounding, and the white-sounding name gets the job.
THAT is white privilege. White privilege is feeling safe around cops because you are not perceived as a threat by default. White privilege is being portrayed for your good qualities when you commit a crime and getting a charismatic shot in the paper instead of your mugshot. White privilege is the President of the United States referring to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “criminals,” Muslims as "terrorists,” black protestors as “sons of bitches,” but white-supremacist Neo-Nazis as “very fine people.” White privilege is having your successes elevated and your failures downplayed.
White privilege is not understanding your privilege.
And so, after the class, I went to my car and cried for a very long time because for the first time I really realized, no matter how great I become, I will never be esteemed with the same regard as a white person. And better yet, we will never understand each other. Like the great German thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “No one has ever properly understood me, I have never fully understood anyone; no one understands anyone else.”
No matter how hard I try, the white person has never walked in my shoes and therefore will never understand me nor the essence of their privilege, and I as a person of color will never understand anything more than marginalization.