Understanding Your White Privilege
Our world and community is changing, more today, than it has for the past several hundred years. Your contribution to moving the country forward is very important and you need to take part in it by first educating yourself then taking action. We need to be mindful of how our actions and inactions affect other people's wellbeing and our country’s future.
Whether or not we realize it or recognize it, people with white skin are looked upon and treated differently from people of color in our society. It’s important that all people recognize this and begin to understand the incredible power it bestows on those with white skin. This real issue is sometimes called “white privilege.” Here’s the Oxford Dictionary definition of white privilege: Inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice. Ironically, this “privilege” is one of the most powerful assets to ignite change, bring equality and ultimately dismantle injustice and white privilege.
White privilege can also cause us to think everyone’s world is like ours. Many privileged people think that if a person of color just tries hard, follows the rules and does not break the law, they will succeed. The reality proves to be different. The deficit and challenges for people of color are incredibly real, and you can’t understand that without educating yourself, even if it is uncomfortable to do so.
As therapists we strive to teach our clients how to gain insight and awareness about themselves and others, which can create empathy, compassion and fuller lives. Racism should also be brought to the forefront of understanding oneself in today’s growing climate of self-awareness. We need to be honest with ourselves and try to gain insight about our thinking, actions and inactions towards people of color. To do this, we must understand and educate ourselves on white privilege then educate others, including our children. With this knowledge, we can foster self-awareness of white privilege, empathy, compassion and most important change.
Bringing About Change
Creating effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of power, privilege, supremacy and leadership is a lifestyle change. Fortunately, there is a good resource to help people get started. It’s called the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge, and you can learn about it here. There are also several other links and books to educate yourself on equality and how to use your white privilege to make change on this site.
The next is to teach your children what you have learned. It’s imperative that the generations to come embrace, and continue to work toward, equality for all humans. As a white parent, it’s your responsibility to discuss and explain inequality, racism and white privilege with your children. Here’s is a great article entitled Talking to Your Kids About Their Privilege Doesn’t Need to be Daunting. Use the ideas here to get you started talking with your kids!
Once you have educated yourself here are other actions you can take:
Write letters to your local government and congressional representatives.
Donate to or volunteer with organizations such as:
Black Lives Matter whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that advocates for the advancement of colored people is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization who’s mission is to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City.
Smarty Patch Foundation, provides access to early education for underprivileged children by sending them to high quality preschool programs where children of color are NOT segregated race, ethnicity or income. This gives them an equal start in life that helps them throughout their entire learning journey.
The Reverend Al Sharpton had some inspirational words while delivering the eulogy for George Floyd: “This is the beginning of the fight. This not the end of the fight. George, I read it on the front page of the New York Times this morning, you said you wanted to touch the world. God had something else for you to do because all over the world, George, they are marching in your name. You’ve touched the world in South Africa. You touched the world in England. You’ve touched every one of the 50 States…the movement won’t rest until we get justice, until we have one standard of justice.”
We hope this blog inspires you to educate yourself, grow and use your privilege to change the world.
Photo; Kristen Inbody