White Privilege In Schools Essay

In this spellbinding lecture, the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son offers a unique, inside-out view of race and racism in America. Expertly overcoming the defensiveness that often surrounds these issues, Wise provides a non-confrontational explanation of white privilege and the damage it does not only to people of color, but to white people as well. This is an invaluable classroom resource: an ideal introduction to the social construction of racial identities, and a critical new tool for exploring the often invoked – but seldom explained – concept of white privilege.

After reading the article by McIntosh I was in complete agreement. I feel it is uncommon for the privileged group to recognize their own privilege. I know I have had conversations with my peers about white privilege and those conversations have not lead to the agreement that there is white privilege. I think you really need to do as the author did and list things that you would otherwise take for granted, find what is in our knapsacks. I find that I am always checking myself when it comes to my interactions with others. Did I act a certain way due to the race of the people I am around? From the article by Bronson, it is discussed how children differentiate on their own. Our brains are wired to find the similarities and relate to those. It makes

Right on the first page in chapter six it discusses the privilege groups discomfort about discussing privilege. Yes, it is true for so many and for those who don’t feel discomfort, I call you brave and open minded. But, it is a hard thing to discuss especially with a non-privileged group of individuals. I, for one also feel discomfort and defensive sometimes in those situations, and that could be from a number of different reasons. Whether it is because I feel guilty, ashamed, judged, etc. For this I will talk about race, for those who are white, we are born this way, we didn’t choose to be white and there’s nothing you can do about it. You were born into the privileged group here in America. But, it is something that we need to accept and admit to, we are the privileged group but, we don’t because of this nasty stigma about race. Race has turned into this sharp word that scares people when it is mentioned. We, as educators need to change the stigma of that word. We need to make it so people of privilege and non privilege can discuss privilege and race with out discomfort or being offended. In this class, our race discussion had brought up white privilege and at first it was not comfortable but, as you admit to it, the easier it is to discuss.

I am a white cisgendered, heterosexual male. I come from a middle to upper class family and live in a safe suburb with an excellent school system. My parents both have college degrees and raising my sister and me and providing us with all the opportunities they could provide has always been a high priority. Therefore, when I read Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack in one of my freshman English classes, I could agree with the vast majority of conditions she lays out as conditions of white privilege. Additionally, my parents and many of my classmates do not quite understand why I want to pursue a career studying the stereotypes and prejudice and the answer is not simple.

White privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. For example, “white” history is taught as a core curriculum class whereas “minority” history is taught as an elective or when white people do not have to go through their entire day wondering if the negative situations that happen throughout the 24-hour span have racially charged undertones. White privilege can sometimes become an issue because white people may automatically assume that “privilege” equates to being wealthy which is not the case. Having white privilege simply equates to not having to undergo the various issues that people of color (POC) face. It is not necessarily a negative thing because one cannot help the skin they are born into but it is the person’s fault if they choose to consistently

Peddy McIntosh highlighted various unearned white privileges in her autobiographical article “White Privilege, Color and Crime: A Personal Account.” She illustrated the white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that one white person could count on cashing in each day. White people have these privileges given to them by the society in which they live in. The same society taught them to be ignorant and unawareness of these privileges. This system of unearned privileges established by white individuals made people of color feel oppressed. In this system being white is a norm and dominant power. Caucasians, who benefit most from the white privilege system in the United States, are more likely to

Many Caucasians do not realize that they possess white privilege, while people of color do. White privilege has been around ever since society had considered “white” as the dominant race. White privilege is unfamiliar to many people because it is the inconspicuous elements white people take for granted. For example, Caucasians are forty percent more likely to receive a private scholarship than POCs (people of color); they also have a sixty-seven percent lower incarceration rate and are ten times more likely to get a housing loan (Greenburg). These facts can be mistaken as false or as a mere coincidence. Ironically, only Caucasians deem white privilege as a myth. There is no one to blame, but it is clear that a bias exists between all races. Because of this growing problem, satirists have created comics, articles, and even videos to help expose the truth on how white benefit affects people of color negatively. These satirists use parody and mockery to reveal the unpleasant truth on white privilege.

“Racism is a bad thing, you find it everywhere in the schools, the clubs and also in the streets.”

Some people define race as if it is something solid or concrete, but what they don’t see is that it is a “social fabrication”(Mathew Desmond, Mustafa Emibayer,2009;2). Race is based on the difference in physical appearance which is determined, for example, by the most apparent trait; skin color. Inequality emerges when people living, whether on the same sovereign terrain or across continents, are not treated with the same amount of respect and not given the chance to engage their rights in a free and fair manner. Race and inequality are often linked together because of the “issues that began in the 1800s”(NFB;Journey to Justice;2000) such as racial segregation. Over the years issues of race and inequality have

Since the 2016 election, the topics of white privilege and racism have become more relevant in society than ever before and is discussed by both political parties. White privilege refers to any benefits or opportunities from societal injustice experienced by white people, but not enjoyed by other races (Hossain, 2015). While this issue has been prevalent for a long time, more people are focusing on it and thus heightening tensions caused by denial. White privilege exists as part of America’s framework and therefore is not a matter of individuals. It will continue to exist whether or not a person has Black friends, is “color blind” to race, is 1/32 Native American, dates someone of a different race, or is poor. White people must accept

The book, Privilege, Power, and Difference brought awareness to where I stand as a Latina female in the United States. Growing up, I did not like to focus on the differences I experienced or saw others experience. These differences made me feel angry, scared, nervous, confused, and hopeless. Instead of focusing on the unfairness I was a part of I decided to look at it as a challenge, I would prove to myself that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I took every opportunity handed to me and tried to make the best of it, to make myself proud and my family proud. At least that is what I thought at the time, but now that I have had time to reflect on my desire to succeed I know that part of that desire comes from proving to the dominant culture that minorities can succeed.

A common idea that has garnered some attention these last few years is the idea of ‘white privilege’ and its existence and affect in the school system at large. Both sides of the argument have varying understandings of how to approach, let alone deal with, the problem. In her essay Brown Plus 50 Counter-Storytelling: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the “Majoritarian Achievement Gap” Story, Barbara J. Love states that “African American children receive a very different education from that received by white children. They are more frequently disciplined, detained, suspended and expelled.” This is continued in the article with Love saying that these students are

In the beginning of the year I entered this class with a very sheltered and ignorant view of current and past events. Through time and sociological evolution I have begun to see things in a different light. The development of my ability, to look at something or some kind of situation, lets me use the sociological terms in such a manner to relate them to micro and macro problems in society. This started with the assigned readings of the class; the aim was to decipher the messages the authors were presenting. The goal was then to dig deeper and use my experiences to help myself understand the concepts throughout the course. "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch (46-120 CE--common era) I was no longer

Some social behaviors are so ingrained in people’s day to day lives that they would never notice them unless they were pointed out. One such behavior that is so often overlooked is the preferential treatment that certain groups receive over others. The privileges of the dominate social groups over the subordinate ones go so unnoticed at times that they are even seen as just innately how things should be. In the contemporary society of the United States, the group with these privileges is often White males, and the majority of them would disagree about that statement. Surprisingly, the group that gets the most treatment feels the most abused. This only highlights the obliviousness accompanying those to which this invisible power belongs. However, each person, at one point, has been advantaged over another without realizing it.

Although some individuals may wish or even naively claim that we live in a post-racial society, the reality in twenty first century America is that individual and institutional racism continues to take a horrible toll on young people of color, who are at greater risk of race-based violence, unjust criminalization, as well as economic, political and educational discrimination. The powerful advantages that come from being born white are immeasurable and painfully real. It is critical that white individuals recognize the depth of their privilege, but doing nothing more than that can appear self-congratulatory, and as an attempt to exempt them from responsibility. An example of one writer’s over-simplification of white privilege can be found