This arbitrary grouping of people, historically, fueled biases and became a tool for justifying the cruel treatment and discrimination of non-white people.
#WHITE PRIVILEGE EXPLAINED IN ONE SIMPLE COMIC SKIN#
A federal intelligence agency prioritizes investigating Black and Latino activists rather than investigate white supremacist activity.īoth racism and bias rely on what sociologists call racialization. This is the grouping of people based on perceived physical differences, such as skin tone.A jury finds a person of color guilty of a violent crime despite scant evidence.A police officer shoots an unarmed person of color because he “feared for his life.”.A person calls 911 to report the presence of a person of color who is otherwise behaving lawfully.A person crosses the street to avoid walking next to a group of young Black men.These biases can become racism through a number of actions ranging in severity, and ranging from individual- to group-level responses:
A person might become anxious if they perceive a Black person is angry. For example, a person might unconsciously or consciously believe that people of color are more likely to commit crime or be dangerous. Racism is what happens when that belief translates into action. Racism differs from bias, which is a conscious or unconscious prejudice against an individual or group based on their identity.īasically, racial bias is a belief. Denis’s “ Sociology on Racism.” They define racism as “individual- and group-level processes and structures that are implicated in the reproduction of racial inequality.” Systemic racism happens when these structures or processes are carried out by groups with power, such as governments, businesses or schools. So, what is racism? One helpful definition comes from Matthew Clair and Jeffrey S. Therefore, defining white privilege also requires finding working definitions of racism and bias. But white privilege exists because of historic, enduring racism and biases. Having white privilege and recognizing it is not racist. And if we stand behind the belief that recognizing white privilege is integral to the anti-bias work of white educators, we must offer a broader recognition.Ī recognition that does not silence the voices of those most affected by white privilege a recognition that does not ignore where it comes from and why it has staying power. In short, we’ve forgotten what white privilege really means-which is all of this, all at once. And they overshadow the words of many people of color, who for decades recognized white privilege as the result of conscious acts and refused to separate it from historic inequities. They overshadow the fact that white privilege is both a legacy and a cause of racism. Those interpretations overshadow the origins of white privilege, as well as its present-day ability to influence systemic decisions. It became easy for people to interpret McIntosh’s version of white privilege-fairly or not-as mostly a matter of cosmetics and inconvenience. This idea of white privilege as unseen, unconscious advantages took hold.
It was being able to move through life without being racially profiled or unfairly stereotyped. It was being able to turn on the television and see people of your race widely represented. It was being able to walk into a store and find that the main displays of shampoo and panty hose were catered toward your hair type and skin tone. For many, white privilege was an invisible force that white people needed to recognize. Today, white privilege is often described through the lens of Peggy McIntosh’s groundbreaking essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Originally published in 1988, the essay helps readers recognize white privilege by making its effects personal and tangible.
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