I am white and middle class, I have always had health insurance, been financially stable, never had to fear retaliation from family or friends for dating someone of a different race or gender. In other words, I am privlidged–something illustrated by the privlidge line we conducted in class last week.
For most of my life, I have operated unaware of this privilege, perhaps understanding in some abstract sense the forces of racism and classism in society without appreciating the way such foces granted me an advantage. As I made my way through public school in NYC in “gifted” programs I was for the most part surrounded by students from the same background–white, middle class, privileged. I recently discovered my college application essays. To my horror I describe my local high school as being filled with “mediocre, unmotivated students”–the same high school one of my younger sisters now attends. My warped perception was based on a misconception that the largest–if not only–factors in academic achievement were intelligence and hard work.
If I didn’t realize the way that privilege influenced my education, you can be sure I didn’t realize the way it influenced my life as a whole. Thankfully, my education–both academically and socially–over the past three years at CUNY has been eye opening Finally exposed to a diverse learning environment–in terms of not only race and socioeconomic status but also age, gender, sexuality and general life experience–I came to appreciate my own privilege. As a student not just at Hunter but also at Macaulay, I realized the way that our education system functions (especially in defining “gifted” students) is negatively impacting diversity in our schools, which not only negatively impacts marginalized students but also (a more selfish realization) that I–and students like myself–also suffered from the lack of diversity in our eductional experiences.
Such realization has pushed me to write my public policy capstone next semester on diversity in gifted education, looking specifically at public high schools in NYC (I’m sure many of you are familiar with the current controversy over the SHSAT and Specialized High Schools in NYC–one of which, Stuyvesant, I attended). Readings I’ve undertaken this semester (including bell hooks) that highlight the way our education system can reinscribe racialized hierarchies have pushed me in developing my own understanding of privilege and how it functions in my personal life and society.
It is an ongoing process, and I have often struggled with how I–coming from this privileged, white background–should write about race. Though I would like to think that I can sympathize with the disfranchisement faced by people of color given the disfranchisement I face as woman, I know that at some level, such comparisons are apples and oranges, and I cannot truly empathize. In other words, who am I to comment on the obstacles and prejudice faced by women of color?
I hope the answer is that I am an ally, and that I can write and comment on issues of race with sensitivity and clarity–especially if I write with an understanding and acknowledgment of my privileged background.
Re: not realizing one’s own privilege, I recommend reading Peggy McIntosh’s “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” if you haven’t already. It’s the foundational work on white privilege, and makes the very important point that white privilege works to make the benefactors of it – i.e. white people – ignorant of their privilege. I think recognizing one’s own privilege is a huge step in a positive direction.
And as for writing race, well…don’t go the Lena Dunham route, and you’ll be a-OK 😉
Thank you! And I’ll definitely check out the book over winter term.
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I also went to Stuy, so hello fellow alum!! But I went when it was the old building on 15th Street 🙂 I think part of the issue is that as whites we’re really afraid of making mistakes, or saying or doing the wrong thing towards people of color, and that impedes the fight to end racism. The reason we are is because when we do make mistakes, the people who are very hard on us are not people of color, but other whites. Part of how racism stays in place in the United States at least, is by one group of whites blaming another group of whites for racism. A huge way that plays out in the U.S. is Northerners blaming Southerners for racism, while the foundation of the economic power of the North was completely built up on slavery. The blame tends to break down along the usual oppression lines: gentiles blaming white Jews, middle-class people blaming working-class and poor whites, etc. Everyone wanting to say “it’s not me, it’s her/him.”
I don’t know if I have the “answer” for you but Cornel West and Michael Moore gave an incredibly interesting talk at Hunter this past Spring. Did you catch it by chance? Someone asked about the current state of race relations in the U.S. Michael Moore went towards wanting to blame certain groups of whites. Dr. West had a much more nuanced answer. He pointed out how our interpersonal relationships are the best they’ve ever been, but wealth and material resources remain concentrated amongst whites, which makes people believe we’ve made more progress than we actually have.
Hi fellow alum! I definitely think you’re right about blame, and especially about the false North-South dichotomy that exists. I didn’t catch the talk between West and Moore, but it sounds like I would have been on board with West’s statement.
another thought, while I have never had a chance to read it, I think a useful book to read would be “The Debt.” It talks about reparations for slavery. I think that reparations can take many forms, one of which would be channeling the wealth that was created by slavery back into educational institutions.
The Debt is actually on my “to-read” list. And I am ALL in favor of channeling more wealth into education!