A lot of people do not believe white privilege is real. Sometimes they think it is used by people of color to spread hatred and guilt upon white people. It doesn't mean you haven't had any difficulties in life, and it doesn't mean other's don't have privileges that you don't. For example if you have two functioning legs you have a privilege someone else does not. White privilege means you have benefited in some ways that people of color have not simply because you are white. So here are a few examples of white privilege:
1. You learn your own history.
There is the exception of white women, women in general do not learn enough about their history. White women, however, learn at least some, while women of color don't learn much if anything at all. The United States prides itself in being a melting pot but we never learn anything other than white history, the tiny bits of other history that we learn we learn from a white perspective. For example recall when we learned about the missions in fourth grade, we talked about the native american's and how they used the land, but we never talked about how painful that was and how people were stripped of their culture.
2. It is almost guaranteed that you had a teacher that looked like you.
In a publication of The Harvard Education letter, Kristina Cowen states, "According to the most recent figures available from the National Center for Education Statistics, 83 percent of teachers in U.S. public schools were white as of 2007–2008; while 56 percent of students were white." For many students of color, they may go their whole school career without having a teacher who looks like them, or understands what it is like to be them.
3. It means you are trendy while people of color are "ghetto," or other insulting labels.
People of color have had to assimilate to white culture for a long time. Black women straightened their hair, Latina women dyed their hair blonde. Men often have to change the way that they speak to women of other cultural background especially white women. For example, black men must avoid using words that might make them sound "street" and must soften there voice, and possibly even speak in a higher pitch simply to avoid making white women feel scared or threatened. So anyway, then come along white women, wearing cornrows and it becomes fashion, when black women couldn't get jobs because of their hair. If a young white male wore a poncho to school people might think its cool were as if a Mexican wore one they might get looked at funny. White people mimic the language tendencies other cultures have developed, but people of color are called ignorant or are looked at in a negative light for speaking the way they do.
4. The kids in children's books look like you, and you get to read literature written by people like you.
The first time I read a book written by a Latino/a author was when I took my first Spanish course in high school. I understand the United states is an English speaking country, but we are a country of immigrants. Why don't we read Native American literature, and literature written by all the peoples that have immigrated. As early as kindergarten I recall in all the picture books most of the kids were white and there was the occasional darker kid. This has been getting better, but there is still room for improvement.
5. People in films look like you and are usually considered more attractive.
This one should be pretty obvious. We see blonde, blue-eyed people in movies, billboards, magazines and every other media outlet all the time. Even in Mexican novelas, the light skinned Mexicans are cast as the main actors, and darker people play roles of servants or villians. People make the joke that the black guy dies first but maybe it's a metaphor for what happens in real life.
6. Makeup and bras.
If a person of color wants foundation, or nude color bra or even nude color heels. The difficulty of finding the right shade can be exhausting. Girls with darker skin grow up self-conscious because they are severely under represented. Then they go to buy foundation to cover up acne, another insecurity, or just want some foundation for the sake and fun of wearing makeup and can't find their skin color.
7. Getting to say, "I am white, so I don't get scholarship," or "I wish I was a person of color, so I could get scholarships."
Yes, not all white people say this, but some do. Yes, some white people struggle economically or have disabilities and or other setbacks. There are difficulties faced by people of color, and it sort of discredits the money we receive that we very much need. A lot of the money received is due to financial situations. Obtaining significant social or economic standing is especially difficult for first generation student's parents. If you are white and your parents went to college, you have more money to spend on college, more funds of knowledge on how a higher education institution works and how to get there. My parents didn't know about SAT prep, I took it once and never took time specifically to study for it, and this is only one example.
8. Walking around a store without being racially profiled.
People of color are monitored far more in a store than white people. If a black man so much as touches a magazine on a stand he might be asked to put it down. If a white man did so, he might even get away with browsing through it for a bit.
White people are not the only people who perpetuate these situations. White people are not the only people who appropriate cultures. White people don't have easier lives than every one else. There are many intersectionalities of privilege, race, gender, economic status, and many more. When people say Black Lives Matter. They aren't saying other lives don't matter. What is meant is, we are in trouble, we matter too. Saying all lives matter is erasing the unique difficulties that are faced by black people. We can't all fight for all people, that's extremely idealistic and if we all felt that urge there wouldn't be a problem of inequality. There are people who don't believe in everyone being equal and those who do believe in people being equal fight for that. However, every intersectionality faces unique problems that require unique solutions, research, knowledge, and time. So all of these groups form their own cause focus on it and fight for it, that is the most effective way to fight for change. Every human struggles in a different way. We should all strive to educate ourselves on other people's struggles, and fight for the betterment of the situation of people like us. For example people on wheelchairs require elevators or ramps. A two story building already has stairs. We are not going to advocate for the construction of more stairs. The stairs are already there. So we won't say " All forms of getting to the second floor matter" because that doesn't clearly state the need for elevators and ramps. We are going to say " Elevators and ramps matter!" and that gets the point across. These same people don't have time to be advocating for people who need other accommodations, they are busy fighting their fight, while others are fighting different fights and one of the biggest obstacles is people who deny the privilege held by any group. So don't be that person.
