Image courtesy of Orenda Ayashe.
I AM AN ALLY IN
PROGRESS
Check Your White Privilege
by Chiara Rachmanis
“White privilege doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been hard. It means
that your skin color isn’t one of the things making it harder.”
- @kimblackproud
Race, religion, class, gender, and sexuality are some of the several
identifiers that can give one person an advantage or disadvantage over
another. In some cases this means getting away with shoplifting
because you’re a white teenage girl, in others it means being killed
by the police for sleeping in your car because you are a Black man.
As
a white female, I was curious to learn more about what white privilege
really means and really looks like. I leaned heavily on
@soyouwanttotalkabout — an Instagram account I recently
discovered that does an amazing job of distilling meaty, pervasive
social issues into digestible squares of content. They explore white
privilege in respect to why it makes people uncomfortable, what it
means and what it does not mean, and even created an exercise for
people to check their white privilege. I was inspired by
@soyouwanttotalkabout to create a more in-depth overview of white
privilege based on their post. If you’re an ally in progress reading
this, I challenge you to do these exercises alongside me.
White privilege essentially refers to the absence of negative
experiences attributable to race
So a bit of background. While the concept of white privilege is not a
new one, it’s one that has been gaining particular focus in the
ongoing conversation on race. The term started gaining recognition
after activist Peggy McIntosh’s essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the
Invisible Knapsack” in which she guides readers through the meaning of
white privilege by portraying its effects as personal and tangible.
White privilege refers to the absence of negative experiences
attributable to race and the fact that societal privileges benefit
white people beyond what is usually experienced by Black, Indigenous
and people of color under the same economic, social, and political
conditions. It exists as a result of years of historic racism and
systems that have been designed to oppress Black, Indigenous and
people of color. For a white person this can mean that you’re the
dominant representation on all media, that nobody questions your
citizenship, that products are designed for you first, and that your
actions are not perceived as those of your entire race.
Why does talking about white privilege make people uncomfortable?
The word “white” often creates uneasiness as white people are rarely
referred to or defined by their race. Secondly, many feel that the
word “privilege” suggests that white people have never struggled and
discounts the fact that they can be low-income or from rural areas.
|
WHITE PRIVILEGE
|
| White people are made to feel guilty |
We get to learn about racism, rather than having to experience
it first hand
|
| White people can’t come from tough backgrounds |
The struggles and injustices we experience are not related to
the colour of our skin
|
| White people can’t struggle financially |
Our ancestors were not chattel slaves and we aren’t immediately
harmed by this legacy
|
|
White people don’t experience injustices
|
We have a responsibility to actively work towards racial equity
|
Here are some statistics that show how systemic racism exists on every
level of society
2x
Black graduates are 2x more likely to be unemployed
10x
The net worth of a typical white family is nearly ten times
greater than that of a Black family
30%
Black people in the United States are 30% more likely to be pulled
over by the police
3.2%
Only 3.2% of executives and senior manager-level employees are
African American
60%
More than 60% of people in prison are people of color
4x
Black women are 4x more likely to die in childbirth
Source: @soyouwanttotalkabout
Check your white privilege exercise
The following are examples of many ways people experience privilege
but may not realize it. When I completed the exercise, I was surprised
and uncomfortable at how many of these scenarios I was able to check
off. But it was the kind of discomfort that called for some serious
self-reflection. It was the kind of discomfort necessary for me to
understand that I am at an unjust advantage to so many members of our
society in ways that I would never even think of — that and
realizing that BIPOC have to experience these instances all the time
is what ultimately allowed me to recognize my white privilege.
please read the list and check off all of those that apply to you:
So what can I do with my white privilege?
Although white privilege can seem like something we might be
uncomfortable or ashamed of having, we should actually look at our
privilege as an opportunity — an opportunity to amplify the
voices of those who don’t have it. The first step of using your
privilege to stand with those without it is to acknowledge it.
Confront racial injustices and biases around you even when it’s
uncomfortable.
Try to recognize parts of your identity that you don’t usually think
about and once you’ve figured those out, you’ve started to determine
your privilege. Learn about the challenges and hurdles that people who
lack these privileges face in their everyday lives. With this, teach
other white people the barriers to success for Black, Indigenous and
people of color. Look for opportunities to speak up and take action
everyday by asking questions, raising issues, and voicing your
perspective. Confront racial injustices and biases around you even
when it’s uncomfortable. Amplify voices that aren’t usually heard in
meetings or group settings and make sure to circle back to
conversations that have been interrupted. But remember to be mindful
of not overpowering the group you are trying to support when you do
speak up on their behalf. Being an ally also means knowing when to
take a step back and just listen. Listen and learn from their lived
experiences and remember that they are the experts. Promise to be more
than just “not racist” — be actively ANTI-racist.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
I am Rebecca Hoskins, and I’m a Graphic
Designer. I am dedicated to using my voice to foster important
conversations in both my personal and professional life. For me,
anti-racism is about actively encouraging anti-racism in others, and I
am always looking for opportunities to instigate understanding,
reconciliation, and change.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born and bred in New York City,
Orenda Ayashe started drawing at age 5
and began journal writing at age 13. Synesthesia is the rare ability
to see sounds and in 2003, Orenda began visually interpreting music
through her abstract acrylic paintings. Since 2007, many of Orenda’s
award-winning paintings have been viewed and purchased through various
organizations including Arts Unlimited, Allied Arts, Soco Culture,
Maple Valley Arts, Poverty Bay Artists and other Puget Sound venues.
Peter Max was the first artist to inspire the style of visual art that
she enjoys painting. Her compositions include social realism,
synesthetic depictions of music, abstracts and dream imagery.
Regardless of subject, she utilizes bold color, graphic elements and
exaggerated shapes to create worlds which are both whimsical and
exciting. Dots, circles and stars are signature elements consistently
incorporated in her pieces. You can find more of her works at
orendaayashe.com
