Growing up in a primarily Latinx, low-income community, I never saw myself as “privileged.” I never knew what I should expect for my future because my community focused on the now rather than the later. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck, your life is almost forced into that style of living. For me, privilege meant that I did not have to constantly think whether I would have enough money to pay for my basic needs or that people did not make prejudices simply on the color of my skin. But after four days of intensive social justice conversations and workshops during the Tri-Co Social Justice Institute, I realized that privilege extends to more than I thought and that although I have many marginalized identities, I still have my own privileges.
As a woman of color from a low-income background, my identities have been marginalized by American society. It is difficult navigating in a place and a society that was not designed for me. While the US attempts to flaunt its diversity, the truth is that on way too many occasions, I have been pushed to the outside. The city I live in reflects that. My family has been pushed into a city where everyone shares a similar background. And while I value what my community has taught me over the years, the lack of diversity has also been harmful. It was almost like living in a bubble, a bubble that is not meant to be popped. My low-income status forced me to go to a high school next to factories; my low-income status limited my resources to get ahead. And despite all the struggles I have had to go through because of my background, there will always be someone that says I got accepted to Haverford solely because of “affirmative action.” It is usually through micro-aggressions that this occurs. I was often told that I did not have to study as hard for my standardized tests because I have a lot of “leeway” as a minority student. What these people do not understand is that to get to where I am, I had to work twice as hard in order to enter a space that was designed for them and not for me. All that work is undermined when I have to face these types of aggressions towards my identity.
The privileges I hold may not appear evident when I explain these types of struggles. The thing is that sometimes, we tend to only focus on the negatives. Our society is built around observing the negatives, and if you do not believe me, go on the news and find one good thing that is being talked about. I myself am a victim of forgetting about the privileges I do have. Being straight and cis means that I do not have to go through people questioning my sexuality or gender. These so-called “dominant” identities of mine reduce the amount of discrimination and suffering I have to go through because society as a whole is not accepting of everyone. It is a sad reality that people live their lives being bullied because they are queer or because they do not identify with their gender given at birth.
The fact that I do not have to go through that shows that I do have the privilege of having identities that are not looked down upon. I will never be the most privileged but, I can certainly use the privileges I have to make a difference in our society. Social justice work relies on allies, like myself, to actively work on changing the cruel realities that our society encompasses. But the word “ally” is not a noun; it is a verb. Because to be an ally, you need to be actively engaging with the social issue in question. Just identifying as an ally is not enough; you need to use your privileges to make others’ lives better. For me, I cannot only say I am an ally of the LGBTQ+ community because I accept people’s sexuality. I also have to actively fight for the rights of queer individuals when their voices are silenced. To be a true ally, one needs to remain true to the cause and do it for the right reasons, not only because being an ally is something along the lines of a “fashion statement.”
Privilege comes in many different forms and once we can realize our own privileges, that is when we can truly start working in changing the world. In no way do I lead a perfect life and in no way do I not face different sorts of aggressions. The thing is, the privileges I do have the need to be used to make a difference. And that’s what I intend to do.
