Embracing the Discomfort of White Privilege
It is not unusual for white people to feel uncomfortable or even angry when confronted about white privilege or racism. But where do these emotions come from? Why is it that we immediately feel threatened when a person of color describes an instance of racism or makes a generalization about whites? Unfortunately, our “knee-jerk” reactions in these situations stifle any kind of dialogue, and they tend to create a cycle wherein unresolved racial tensions lurk underneath the surface when whites and people of color share public spaces. However, whites need to confront the emotions associated with race and privilege in America. We need to embrace the discomfort of what our whiteness means so that we may engage in the discourse and actions needed to eradicate racial inequities and institutionalized white supremacy, which we as educators are in a position to combat in our schools and colleges.
It is clear that there is quite a bit of deep-seated guilt and anxiety associated with race and race relations, and whites tend to react in one of three ways when they are brought up in conversation. Those who acknowledge the existence of institutional racism and white supremacy and who are truthful about the horrors of slavery and segregation can tend to feel guilty for these past and present wrongs. On the other hand, those who deny the existence of contemporary race-based discrimination and who see slavery and segregation as past wrongs that have no bearing on today can become quite angry when the topics of race and racism come up. And, of course, there are those who misunderstand the term white privilege and feel slighted or insulted when they are accused of having it. But all these responses are unproductive, and they illustrate our discomfort with discussions of race and the lengths we will go to avoid them and to shield our consciences.
Consequently, before delving into the intricacies of these responses, it is first important to understand what white privilege is, as much of the conflict noted above stems from an inherent misunderstanding of it. Most white people immediately focus on the word “privilege,” which conjures images of wealthy families, easy access to higher education and jobs, and preferential treatment by teachers and employers. There is some truth to these, but white privilege is far from a silver spoon. Many whites worked very hard for their educations, and they are industrious employees. They weren’t given legacy admissions to fancy universities, and they don’t have fathers who will call in a favor to get them a good job.
So it is easier to think about white privilege as the pursuit of happiness without encountering race-based obstacles or discrimination rather than a “leg up.” In this way, privilege becomes a tailwind at best but no wind at all at worst. Peggy McIntosh describes the everyday experiences of white privilege in her essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” incredibly well. She argues that white people are often unaware of our privilege, precisely because we do not encounter race-based discrimination and bias. Of her many examples, she notes that white people are privileged in the following ways:
“I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed”
“When I am told about our national heritage or about ‘civilization,’ I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.”
“I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world’s majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.”
“If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race.”
“I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.”
McIntosh details 21 other privileges that all white people enjoy, and they have nothing to do with being given handouts. In order to overcome the emotions of white privilege, it is important that we broaden our definition of it to include the above social benefits awarded to all white people regardless of income or wealth.
But it is also important to realize that white privilege is the by-product of systems and institutions that were built to serve the interests of whites. At certain points of American history, whites have been given a “leg up,” whether it was something as simple as exclusive access to education and housing or as complex as legal rights and privileges. The centuries-old belief that whites are superior to people of color, along with persistent stereotypes in the media, has continued to prop up this system of privilege. (I have detailed the origins and existence of white supremacy and privilege here)
However, our knowledge of slavery, oppression, and race-based discrimination and privilege can lead to a phenomenon called white guilt, which can be genuine remorse for the violence committed on others in the name of white supremacy or simply the reaction to disparaging statements about white people by people of color. Indeed, embedded in the term white privilege is the baggage of slavery and oppression as well as the assumption that all white people are racist. It is no wonder that many of us will respond to this guilt with anger.
So what is white guilt exactly, and how does white privilege lead to white guilt? Shelby Steele, a conservative thinker and Hoover fellow, defines white guilt as “the vacuum of morality that comes from simply knowing that one’s race is associated with racism” (24, emphasis in original). He continues by arguing that “whites know on some level that they are stigmatized by their skin color alone, that black people they meet might suspect them of being racist simply because they are white” (27). In response to these implied accusations, many of us will go out of our way to prove that we are not racist. For example, we talk about our black best friend or share that we voted for Barack Obama (a trope that was even parodied in Jordan Peele’s Get Out). In a way, we are trying to redeem ourselves because we feel guilty by association. We feel guilty of racism until proven innocent.
But the complexities of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern de facto segregation do not allow us to cope with this guilt in a traditional manner. When someone hurts another person, whether it is physical or emotional harm, the guilty party has the opportunity to undergo a redemptive process that includes reflection, changes in behavior, an apology, and, hopefully, forgiveness. In many cases, this leads to reconciliation. But whites have no such process for dealing with the guilt of historical oppression. Instead, we are presented with the same paradox illustrated in Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower, in which an SS officer seeks the forgiveness of a Jewish man for the wrongs he committed in Auschwitz. But a single representative of an oppressed people cannot grant forgiveness on behalf of their group, particularly when then these wrongs are committed over a century in the past, as is the case with slavery.
This means there is no person, or even group of people, who can forgive whites for the harm caused by slavery, segregation and oppression committed against African Americans. Similarly, there is no Latinx, Asian American, Native American, woman, Muslim, LGBTQ+ person, or other representative from an oppressed group who can grant forgiveness. It is not possible.
On a similar note, we cannot simply “shed” our privilege. We cannot decide that we don’t accept our privilege. It is too engrained in our society, and it is backed by the collective bias, prejudice, and even laws of the United States of America. No matter what, we will always enjoy the benefits described by McIntosh.
So what do we do? There are really only two ways we can respond to the guilt and anger associated with white privilege. We can continue to deny that white privilege and supremacy exist and convince ourselves that the wrongs of the past and present have nothing to do with us (e.g. “my ancestors didn’t own slaves!”). Conversely, we can, and should, acknowledge that whites enjoy certain benefits and have been given historical and contemporary opportunities to build wealth, opportunities denied to the majority of people of color. Acknowledgment let’s us at least start the conversation.
However, acknowledgement is not enough. If we accept that this discrimination and violence exist and leave it at that, we will continue to fall into the despair and guilt mentioned above. We will continue to feel guilty by association and driven to prove we are not racist. Instead, we need to actively seek to break down oppressive structures. We need to take action. Creating equity is the only way we can find redemption.
The good news is that educators are in a great position to act within our schools and colleges. We have the ability to identify institutional structures that oppress students of color and other minoritized groups and to collectively create ways to dismantle these structures. As I wrote in Pillar 3, schools were historically built to serve white men, and our schools and colleges perpetuate these same systems of privilege today. For example, we still subscribe to a Euro-centric model of teaching and learning. Our curricula still highlight the achievements of dead white men, with a few tokenized people of color to fill in the gaps. As educators, we have the ability, the responsibility, to create inclusive learning environments that celebrate the cultures and accomplishments of all students and their ancestors. This is the small step that we can take to destroy white supremacy and dismantle white privilege. It is a long road, but it is the only way to cope with the guilt and anger that we often feel around issues of race and racism and re-channel it into something productive. (For tangible curricular suggestions, click here)
But in order to do this important work, we need to take some very important steps in confronting and embracing the discomfort of white privilege. Here are a few:
1. Accept that white privilege and institutional racism are real and present in our society and in our institutions, including schools and colleges
2. Understand why people of color assume that white people are racist and be at peace with that assumption, even if you are working towards anti-racist goals
3. Stop trying to prove that you are not racist
4. Build your compassion for minoritized students and colleagues
5. Realize that you cannot “shed” your privilege
6. Identify the structures in the spaces where you live and work that promote white privilege and institutional racism and take action in dismantling them
7. Be optimistic that you can create positive changes in the spaces where you live and work
Overcoming the complex emotions associated with race and racism won’t happen overnight, but the above steps are a positive start in the right direction. I can attest to the difficulty of finding comfort in owning one’s privilege and of adapting one’s career in order to challenge white supremacy and privilege in academia, but it is possible to shed the guilt associated with whiteness and to build alliances with students and colleagues of color to challenge institutional racism. These actions are the only way to feel comfortable in our skin and begin to right the wrongs of generations past.