WHITE PRIVILEGE

FERNANDO REGIS

AFR 1502

HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/MANFERN38

HTTP://OPENLAB.CITYTECH.CUNY.EDU/FREGIS-EPORTFOLIO

DEFINITION

 1. A. A RIGHT, ADVANTAGE, OR IMMUNITY GRANTED TO OR ENJOYED BY WHITE PERSONS BEYOND THE

COMMON ADVANTAGE OF ALL OTHERS; AN EXEMPTION IN MANY PARTICULAR CASES FROM CERTAIN

BURDENS OR LIABILITIES.

 B. A SPECIAL ADVANTAGE OR BENEFIT OF WHITE PERSONS; WITH REFERENCE TO DIVINE

DISPENSATIONS, NATURAL ADVANTAGES, GIFTS OF FORTUNE, GENETIC ENDOWMENTS, SOCIAL

RELATIONS, ETC.

2. A PRIVILEGED POSITION; THE POSSESSION OF AN ADVANTAGE WHITE PERSONS ENJOY OVER NON–

WHITE PERSONS.

PEGGY MCINTOSH

AUTHOR OF WHITE PRIVILEGE: UNPACKING THE INVISIBLE KNAPSACK

“I THINK WHITES ARE CAREFULLY TAUGHT NOT TO RECOGNIZE WHITE PRIVILEGE, AS

MALES ARE TAUGHT NOT TO RECOGNIZE MALE PRIVILEGE. SO I HAVE BEGUN IN AN

UNTUTORED WAY TO ASK WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE WHITE PRIVILEGE. I HAVE COME TO

SEE WHITE PRIVILEGE AS AN INVISIBLE PACKAGE OF UNEARNED ASSETS THAT I CAN

COUNT ON CASHING IN EACH DAY, BUT ABOUT WHICH I WAS MEANT TO REMAIN

OBLIVIOUS. WHITE PRIVILEGE IS LIKE AN INVISIBLE WEIGHTLESS KNAPSACK OF

SPECIAL PROVISIONS, MAPS, PASSPORTS, CODEBOOKS, VISAS, CLOTHES, TOOLS , AND

BLANK CHECKS.”

PEGGY MCINTOSH

THEN I REMEMBERED THE FREQUENT CHARGES FROM WOMEN OF COLOR THAT

WHITE WOMEN WHOM THEY ENCOUNTER ARE OPPRESSIVE. I BEGAN TO

UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE JUST SEEN AS OPPRESSIVE, EVEN WHEN WE DON'T

SEE OURSELVES THAT WAY. I BEGAN TO COUNT THE WAYS IN WHICH I ENJOY

UNEARNED SKIN PRIVILEGE AND HAVE BEEN CONDITIONED INTO OBLIVION

ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE.

EXAMPLES OF WHITE PRIVILEGE

1 I CAN BE PRETTY SURE THAT IF I ASK TO TALK TO THE "PERSON IN CHARGE", I WILL BE FACING A PERSON

OF MY RACE.

a) MOST OF THE MAJOR COOPERATIONS IN THE US ARE OWN BY WHITES

2 I CAN TURN ON THE TELEVISION OR OPEN TO THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER AND SEE PEOPLE OF MY

RACE WIDELY REPRESENTED.

b) WHITES ARE MORE WIDELY REPRESENTED ON OPRAH’S WEBSITE WWW.OPRAH.COM THAN ANY OTHER

RACE.

3 WHITE ARE GIVEN BETTER JOBS, BETTER PAY, BETTER TREATMENT, AND A BETTER CHANCE - ALL

BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=WF9QBNPK6YG

HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YSJ_8FQNNCY

STATISTICS

ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS:

1

IN 2010, MEDIAN USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF ASIAN MEN ($1,408) AND WHITE

MEN ($1,273) WORKING FULL TIME IN MANAGEMENT, PROFESSIONAL, AND

RELATED OCCUPATIONS (THE HIGHEST PAYING MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP)

WERE WELL ABOVE THE EARNINGS OF HISPANIC MEN ($1,002) AND BLACK MEN

($957) IN THE SAME OCCUPATION GROUP

STATISTICS

2

AMONG EMPLOYED MEN, NEARLY HALF (48 PERCENT) OF ASIANS WORKED

IN MANAGEMENT, PROFESSIONAL, AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS IN 2010,

COMPARED WITH 35 PERCENT OF WHITES, 24 PERCENT OF BLACKS, AND 15

PERCENT OF HISPANICS.

STATISTICS

3

EMPLOYED BLACK AND HISPANIC MEN WERE MORE LIKELY THAN OTHER MEN TO

WORK IN PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND MATERIAL MOVING OCCUPATIONS.

NEARLY ONE-HALF OF EMPLOYED HISPANIC MEN WERE IN TWO JOB GROUPS:

NATURAL RESOURCES, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OCCUPATIONS; AND

PRODUCTION, TRANSPORTATION, AND MATERIAL MOVING OCCUPATIONS.

CONCLUSION

PEGGY MCINTOSH:

ALTHOUGH SYSTEMIC CHANGE TAKES MANY DECADES, THERE ARE PRESSING

QUESTIONS FOR ME AND, I IMAGINE, FOR SOME OTHERS LIKE ME IF WE RAISE

OUR DAILY CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE PERQUISITES OF BEING LIGHT-SKINNED.

WHATWILL WE DO WITH SUCH KNOWLEDGE?

QUESTIONS

???