Module 4: Biases, Stereotypes, Aggressions, & Privilege
Part 5: White Privilege
Members of the dominant group in a culture or society benefit from privilege. In the United States, being white places a person in this dominant group. While this does not eliminate struggles, the systems in place create white privilege.
Suggested Goals:
1. To understand the concept of white privilege and why it may be "invisible" to those that benefit from it.
2. To apply the concept of white privilege to educational systems, including classroom interactions and opportunities, as a tool for viewing oppression and necessary changes.
3. To begin considering how to respond to white privilege.
Suggested Goals:
1. To understand the concept of white privilege and why it may be "invisible" to those that benefit from it.
2. To apply the concept of white privilege to educational systems, including classroom interactions and opportunities, as a tool for viewing oppression and necessary changes.
3. To begin considering how to respond to white privilege.
&1: White Privilege
Peggy McIntosh wrote about white privilege in her essay, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. White privilege has long existed but may be invisible to the people that are born with this access to privilege. White privilege does not mean that everything will be easy or without struggle for those with privilege. However, things will be easier with white privilege than it would be for one that is not white. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack is provided to help begin learning about white privilege,
Read:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
or
https://nationalseedproject.org/Key-SEED-Texts/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
Read:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
or
https://nationalseedproject.org/Key-SEED-Texts/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
| knapsack_plus_notes-peggy_mcintosh.pdf |
Reflect:
Note: The following questions are from the Center for Civic Reflection at https://civicreflection.org/resources/library/browse/unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
Dr. McIntosh may have initiated ongoing discussions of white privilege, but there is a continued need for understanding and addressing white privilege and racial injustice. The following resources will allow for a deeper understanding of white privilege.
Read:
What Is White Privilege, Really?
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
Understanding White Privilege
https://www.cpt.org/files/Undoing%20Racism%20-%20Understanding%20White%20Privilege%20-%20Kendall.pdf
Note: The following questions are from the Center for Civic Reflection at https://civicreflection.org/resources/library/browse/unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
- Why does McIntosh start her essay by saying "I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.”? Why is this important for her to say?
- What do you think McIntosh means when she says that recognizing privilege “makes one newly accountable”? To whom are we accountable? What are we accountable for?
- Which of the “daily effects of white privilege” in McIntosh's list sticks out to you and why?
- What do you think McIntosh means when she writes about “people whom I was trained to mistrust?” What kind of training is she referring to? Who has she learned to mistrust? (Teacher Collaborate note: Consider prior modules about socialization.)
- Does acknowledging privilege matter? What if we acknowledge privilege without “doing anything to lessen or end it”? Is acknowledgment an action in and of itself? Is it enough?
- How do we lessen the impact of our privilege? Is this required or desired?
Dr. McIntosh may have initiated ongoing discussions of white privilege, but there is a continued need for understanding and addressing white privilege and racial injustice. The following resources will allow for a deeper understanding of white privilege.
Read:
What Is White Privilege, Really?
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
Understanding White Privilege
https://www.cpt.org/files/Undoing%20Racism%20-%20Understanding%20White%20Privilege%20-%20Kendall.pdf
| undoing_racism_-_understanding_white_privilege_-_kendall.pdf |
Understanding Race and Privilege
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege
The ideas of systemic racism presented in prior modules play a role in white privilege. Access to connections due to inequities in systems contributes to the success or oppression of people in society. Several issues are discussed in the following video. As you watch the videos, consider how the different points connect to white privilege.
Watch:
Exploring White Privilege
https://theundefeated.com/videos/exploring-white-privilege/
Read/Watch:
The Impact of White Privilege in 2020
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-privilege-racism-ibram-x-kendi-robin-diangelo/
Read:
What I Said When My White Friend Asked for My Black Opinion on White Privilege (Content note: Racial Slurs, Race, Language)
https://goodblacknews.org/2016/07/14/editorial-what-i-said-when-my-white-friend-asked-for-my-black-opinion-on-white-privilege/
or
https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/08/told-white-friend-black-opinion/
Reflect:
Being part of the dominant culture, such as being white in the United States, allows individuals to benefit from systems that they do not see or think about. Developing an awareness of privilege is not enough. Revisit the article Understanding Privilege and Race with a focus on how to respond. If you are ready to engage in conversations about white privilege, USA Today offers some suggestions as well. Both of these resources are included below.
Read:
Understanding Race and Privilege
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege
How to Talk to Your Family, Friends About Racism and White Privilege
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/07/06/how-to-guide-talk-racism-white-privilege-with-family-friends/3278514001/
The idea of white privilege is sometimes met with confusion. Many white people will claim that they have struggled, they have been poor, or they have had to work hard to get all that they have. The idea of white privilege does not negate struggles or hard work, but provides context and a comparison to the added struggles and barriers in place for people of color. Nikole Hannah-Jones provides an analogy for white privilege in the video below. White privilege is compared to swimming with the current as opposed to swimming against the current. Consider how this analogy could help explain white privilege.
Watch:
Breaking Down White Privilege: Where Do We Go From Here? Oprah Winfrey Network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_fC38GfHBQ
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege
The ideas of systemic racism presented in prior modules play a role in white privilege. Access to connections due to inequities in systems contributes to the success or oppression of people in society. Several issues are discussed in the following video. As you watch the videos, consider how the different points connect to white privilege.
Watch:
Exploring White Privilege
https://theundefeated.com/videos/exploring-white-privilege/
Read/Watch:
The Impact of White Privilege in 2020
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-privilege-racism-ibram-x-kendi-robin-diangelo/
Read:
What I Said When My White Friend Asked for My Black Opinion on White Privilege (Content note: Racial Slurs, Race, Language)
https://goodblacknews.org/2016/07/14/editorial-what-i-said-when-my-white-friend-asked-for-my-black-opinion-on-white-privilege/
or
https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/08/told-white-friend-black-opinion/
Reflect:
- Have you benefited from white privilege? (Consider the list of ideas in White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.)
- Does white privilege impact your practice in the classroom?
- How could you respond to white privilege and its impacts?
Being part of the dominant culture, such as being white in the United States, allows individuals to benefit from systems that they do not see or think about. Developing an awareness of privilege is not enough. Revisit the article Understanding Privilege and Race with a focus on how to respond. If you are ready to engage in conversations about white privilege, USA Today offers some suggestions as well. Both of these resources are included below.
Read:
Understanding Race and Privilege
https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege
How to Talk to Your Family, Friends About Racism and White Privilege
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2020/07/06/how-to-guide-talk-racism-white-privilege-with-family-friends/3278514001/
The idea of white privilege is sometimes met with confusion. Many white people will claim that they have struggled, they have been poor, or they have had to work hard to get all that they have. The idea of white privilege does not negate struggles or hard work, but provides context and a comparison to the added struggles and barriers in place for people of color. Nikole Hannah-Jones provides an analogy for white privilege in the video below. White privilege is compared to swimming with the current as opposed to swimming against the current. Consider how this analogy could help explain white privilege.
Watch:
Breaking Down White Privilege: Where Do We Go From Here? Oprah Winfrey Network
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_fC38GfHBQ
Reflect:
- Identify three ways that white privilege has impacted your life.
- What are some impacts of white privilege in educational systems and in your classroom?
- What are two possible next steps to combat white privilege in your classroom as you continue to be more antiracist?
The next part will conclude this module on biases, stereotypes, aggressions, and privilege.
