INSTRUCTIONS
Each student should post once on this discussion in response to the prompt. To get full credit, make sure you answer all of the questions in the prompt. Do more than just the bare minimum– don’t just answer each question, but put some thought or explanation into the answers. Each student should also reply to two different students. Make sure your replies are at least three sentences long. They should not just say “Good post” or “I agree” but should include a reason why the post is good or reasons why you agree. Try to reply to other posts that havent gotten very many replies. Make sure your posts thoroughly address the posted prompt. Your initial post is due by Friday at 11:59 PM and your two replies are due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM. The actual due date for the assignment is Monday at 11:59, but I want to encourage students to post their initial posts by Friday. That way there will be some posts for students to reply to. You will not be penalized as long as you have your initial post and two replies on the discussion board by Monday at 11:59 PM.
TOPIC
Begin by reading Reading: On Privilege. After reading it, think about the message in the reading. You are not required to do any research for this assignment. You are meant to think about the reading and reflect on it. I expect college level writing in your post. Please be thoughtful and honest in your post, but avoid uncivil or inflammatory language. Be sure to answer each of the following questions in your post.
1. What did you think about what you read? Was the information new to you? Or was it something you were already familiar with?
2. Give an example of white privilege from your own life (whether it has been an advantage to you or hurt you in some way).
3. Do you (in part) agree with the point of view expressed in the reading? If so, what are some points you agreed with?
4. Do you (in part) disagree with the point of view expressed in the reading? If so, what are some points you disagreed with?
5. What (if anything) can you do to help make sure everyone is safe and treated equally by our justice system? If you think nothing needs to change, explain why.
Reading:
What is White Privilege?
Peggy McIntosh described the concept of White Privilege in her 1987 essay entitled, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” She noted, As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.” She also observed,” I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group. Privilege looks at discrimination from a different perspective. When confronted with discussion about prejudice or discrimination, a common response for people is, Now, wait a minute. I havent put anyone down because of their gender or ethnicity. I have never hurt anyone. That was stuff that happened in the past. When we talk about discrimination or prejudice, sometimes people feel like they are being blamed and need to defend themselves. Talking about privilege is a way to help people recognize and acknowledge the advantages they have. By becoming aware of privilege that we have, we can learn to have compassion for others who dont have the same privilege we do.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHITE PRIVILEGE?
Think about a normal, everyday task, like shopping in a convenient store. You look up and notice the store manager, watching you closely. As you walk toward the back, she comes from behind the counter, in order to keep an eye on you. You get your beverage, walk to the counter and pay for it, all the while being watched closely as if you were a thief. Think about how that would feel. I have heard many stories about experiences like this from my black and brown students– stories of being pulled over even though the driver didn’t break any laws, or a woman who moved away from a student as she sat on a bus, a Latino family shoved in line at Disneyland and told they didn’t belong there, in front of the student’s 2 year old niece. An example of white privilege is the ability to walk around in a store most of the time without fear of being followed or harassed, at least not because of your ethnicity. I am sure we can find examples of whites who were attacked or harassed while shopping in a convenient store, of course, but for the most part, the statement above applies to those of us who are not people of color.
This is a small list of some of the privileges that are attached to being white; they are things many of us take for granted.
I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed, at least not because of my ethnicity.
I can be sure that my children will be given school materials that testify to the existence/? of their ethnicity.
I do not have to educate my children to be aware of racism for their own daily physical protection.
When I am pulled over by the police, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my ethnicity
If a police officer pulls me over I dont have to fear being harassed or killed because of my ethnicity.
Think about those examples and how it might feel not to have them.
WHAT IS THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT ALL ABOUT?
This of the movement is from the BLM website.
#BlackLivesMatter Links to an external site. was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martins murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities.
According to the Washington Post, blacks have been killed by police in disproportionate numbers compared to whites. According to the Washington Posts database, between 2015 and 2022, 7,803 people were shot and killed by police. The article breaks down those deaths by ethnicity. 3,202 (41%) were white and 1,694 (22%) were black. The US population is 76% white. Less than 13% of the US population is black. The rate at which blacks are killed by police is more than twice as high as the rate for whites. Now Im not saying police officers are inherently bad. Most of them obey the law and do their jobs with honor. To be clear, no unarmed citizen should ever be injured or killed, most particularly under the color of authority. All of us have seen the footage of George Floyds death at the hands of police. It was a turning point in the Black Lives Matter movement. According to the Washington Post, July 21, 2020, a record 69 percent of Americans believe blacks are not treated as equal to whites in the criminal justice system.
In my opinion, the BLM movement has been largely misunderstood. Their goal is equal justice under the law. The statement, Black Lives Matter does not mean that all lives dont matter. Of course all lives matter. I believe that goes without saying. The problem is, there is a reason why we have the slogan. We wouldnt have to say “Black Lives Matter” if we treated people like Black Lives actually Matter. It seems to me that being treated equally under the law is not too much to ask.
This is a short video (about 6 minutes) that depicts what happened in 1960 when 4 young black students tried to integrate a “White’s Only” lunch counter at Woolworth in Greensboro, North Carolina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFQ3ZCAgAA0Links to an external site.
WHY ARE BLACK AMERICANS AT A DISADVANTAGE?
This is a simple explanation (you may have seen it on social media)
400 years ago white people brought black people over here and enslaved them. And sold them. And treated them as less than human. For 250 years. While white men built the country and created its laws and its systems of government. While 10 to 15 generations of white families got to grow and flourish and make choices that could make their lives better. And then 150 years ago slavery was officially ended. But then white people created laws that made it impossible for black people to vote. Or to own land. Or to have the same rights as white people. All while another 5 to 10 generations of white families got to grow and accumulate wealth and gain land and get an education. And then the 1964 Civil Rights Act finally gave equal access to voting. And the Civil Rights Movement brought awareness to the issue of equality. But white people still fought to keep schools segregated. And closed off neighborhoods through practices like redlining. And made it harder for black people to get bank loans, or get quality education or health care. All while another 2-3 generations of white families got to grow and pass their wealth down to their children and their children’s children. And then we entered an age where we had the technology to make public the things that were already happening in private– the beatings, the stop and frisk laws, the unequal distribution of justice, the police brutality. White privilege doesn’t mean you haven’t suffered or fought or worked hard. It doesn’t mean white people are responsible for the sins of our ancestors. It doesnt mean you cant be proud of who you are. It does mean that we owe it to our neighbors– of all colors– to acknowledge our privilege and work to make our world more equitable.
The point of privilege is that we have advantages we dont think about. This video looks at white privilege in a humorous way. But the point it makes should be very clear. The rules do not apply equally to white people and black people.
SHOULD WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT WHITE PRIVILEGE? AND, IF SO, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it? I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I try to start every day and every encounter with compassion. When I interact with someone, I dont know anything about what their life might be like. Before they came through that door, they may have had the worst day of their life. So I start with compassion and understanding and go from there. If I see injustice, I call it out. I stand together with those in the BLM movement against unequal treatment. I will vote for those who also want to fight for respect and equality for all people. We have a long way to go. But we have to start somewhere.
“Whatever our backgrounds, were all the children of Americans who fought the good fight. Great-grandparents working in firetraps and sweatshops without rights or representation. Irish and Italians and Asians and Latinos told to go back where they came from. Jews and Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, made to feel suspect for the way they worshiped. Black Americans chained and whipped and hanged. Spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote.
If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work, and could not work, it was those Americans. Our ancestors. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together and said somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words, in our founding documents, to life.
Ive seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background. Americans of all races joining together to declare, that Black lives matter, no more, but no less, so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism.”
