Racism and White Privilege

Before now, I hadn’t really thought much about racism and white privilege, which I’ve realized is evidence that I benefit from it. I grew up in a mostly white suburban town where race and racism were treated as it seems they are in much of America—as a thing of the past. I thought the Peg McIntosh’s blog, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” was very telling of my own experience. I had been taught that racism was “something that puts others at a disadvantage,” not something that puts me at an advantage; “taught to see racism in individual acts of meanness, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.” 

White privilege is the other, more covert side of racism, and without acknowledging it, the full issue cannot be understood. Several of the white privilege benefits McIntosh identifies I have benefited from but never though about, like being widely and dominantly represented in culture, history, and the media, not being expected to represent all people of my racial group, and not having to be concerned about how racism might be used as an explanation for my accomplishments and failures.

Coincidentally, I have spent the past three days at the TexasLeadership and Diversity Conference, which exactly addressed this topic. I attended sessions on Race Relationships in the 21^st Century, and Exploring Power, Privilege, and Access. The panelists discussed how there is currently more opportunity for people of color than in the past, and yet the racist ideology that informs our race relations still exists, and is possibly now more difficult to fight because it is more subtle. They discussed that the need for our society is not to be “colorblind” but to recognize and respect differences between groups. One of the most animated speakers on the panels was Dr. Jason Campbell, Professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. He emphasized that "racism" as pattern recognition that everyone engages in and will never be extinct. Another speaker on microaggressions noted that the term "colorblind" is false because most of us have the visual ability to distinguish different colors. The problem is when valuation is assigned to these external patterns and colors. What’s important is that we continue to acknowledge and work against its effects; to continually have the discussion. 

So how do we do this? Another issue that came up in these panels was that of white guilt. Guilt can be unproductive because it can turn privileged people away from the discussion. Some resist the conversation by reasoning that we as individuals are not responsible for past racism. This may be true, however we are responsible for how the past affects us today. Just because racism doesn’t always look the way it did before the Civil Rights Movement, does not mean it doesn’t still exist. I think the reluctance to engage in conversation about race is also a result of our individualist culture. We are taught that every individual is responsible for their own destiny, so recognizing structural advantages afforded to some individuals, not based on their abilities, means giving up the “myth of meritocracy” as McIntosh calls it. 

Many discussions about racism and privilege I find frustrating, because while they extensively explore the problem, the solutions are not as clearly and widely discussed. I realize that recognizing the problem is part of the solution, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it. An interesting point noted in the conference was that we all have power and influence to some extent within our own environments. So, even if someone as an individual cannot change public policy, they can change the way they think and interact with others. After the talk I asked Dr. Campbell his opinion on institutional versus individual change. When referring to systemic problems, we are talking about institutions, which are generally viewed as greater than the sum of the collective group of individuals involved. Is institutional change then more than just individuals collectively altering their perspectives? Campbell said that the way to this change is for individuals to identify parts of the system that most directly affect them and attempt to create change in these areas. 

Though I still often find myself impatiently waiting for someone to simply tell me the answer, the more mature part of me realizes there is no easy solution to the problem of institutional racism and privilege. I think the combination of dialogue, interpersonal interaction, and institutional participation are all part to fit. What this means for me, travelling to Ghana as part of a racially mixed group from a university with a history of racial tension, is awareness. I think being part of this group will help me better expand my understanding of racism and white privilege. Observing Ghana’s racial relations will also provide insight on America’s. I hope that being more aware will help me curb any racist tendencies of my own that I might not have recognized.