Dear White People,
You - yes you. Have you ever been to a grocery store, or any store for that matter, and have been treated with disrespect because of the color of your skin? Yeah... me neither. You see, because we are white, we are treated differently. Just think about it... have you ever felt eyes staring at you while you walk through a store? Yeah... me neither. We, as white people, must accept the fact that we have privilege simply because we are white.
If you're reading this and are already feeling your defense guards coming up, then go ahead and click exit out of this article. Seriously do it, I'm not offended.
Now for the rest of you, you must accept the reality that you have privilege simply because you are white. By accepting that matter as fact, we can then use our white privilege to educate and change the minds of others.
Who are the others you may be wondering? It doesn't take much for me to describe who the outsiders are without you already knowing what I'm hinting at. You know exactly who and what I'm talking about. They are the ones that declare all over social media that they aren't racist, sexist, homophobic, etc., yet they wave their "southern pride" flag around and say that it's simply a symbol of their "heritage." These are the opinions we must change.
These are the minds we must try to infiltrate, break down, and educate. Because we are white, we already have a privileged support system that backs us up and makes life a whole hell of a lot easier. And you know what? It's pretty messed up to be living in a society that allows the color of our skin to dictate how others treat us and perceive us.
So how do you change the outsiders into insiders? It isn't an easy task. I still struggle with knowing when to use my voice to speak up but if you, as a white person, could spark that conversation with the outsider, you could be the one to start a chain reaction of change (for the better). If you choose your words and carefully articulate what you mean when you explain their white privilege, you could be the one that ignites that fire within them.
Your one simple act could literally change a whole family's perspective on how they view people and even how they view the world - but it all starts with you. You must engage them; you must persuade them; you must educate them because without you, they use their white privilege as a benefit and are ignorant to the fact that they have it.
We are all warriors and we all must fight this by using our white privilege. Without it, how are the outsiders ever going to learn?
Sincerely, a white person
