By Sarah Allison
Growing up, my mom used to talk to my sister and me about our privileges, such as watching cartoons on Saturday mornings or eating ice cream after dinner. She frequently reminded us that privileges could be revoked, that we wouldn’t get to do these special things should we bicker or talk back. Since then, my definition of privilege has expanded. As a white person living in America in 2014, my understanding of privilege cannot exclude white privilege. White privilege affects every sector of American society, and it cannot be revoked.
White privilege is the elephant in America’s living room. Its effects are far reaching and stark, yet most of the time we talk around them. White privilege is most visible in the disparities between racial groups. One of the most concrete ways that it is manifested is in the white/black wealth gap. “In 2009, a representative survey of American households revealed that the median wealth of white families is $113,149 compared with $6,325 for Latino families and $5,677 for Black families.” The demographic of America’s universities is predominantly white.
Just take a look at the online Fordham facts page and scroll to the bottom; “Underrepresented populations” make up 30.4 percent of the student body, with African Americans making up a measly 4.6 percent. Meanwhile, African Americans are 13.1 percent of the U.S. population. African Americans are incarcerated at almost six times the rate that whites are. Researchers are also exploring the black/white health gaps.
It is pretty safe to say that on average white people are wealthier, healthier, more likely to have graduated from college and less likely to have been arrested or approached by law enforcement officials, compared to other racial groups in America. These perks of being white in America, in and of themselves, are not bad. However, it is very problematic that people of color are less likely to have these things, that millions don’t have them. The problem is not what privilege gives white people; it is the cost for nonwhite people. You can’t have a privileged group without having an underprivileged group, an advantage without a disadvantage.
White people also don’t like to think about white privilege, even if they are aware of it and its implications, because it is extremely uncomfortable and frustrating. As Americans, we firmly believe in the values of equality, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, hard work and freedom. So, learning that you have an advantage or that other people have a disadvantage is just rotten. With an awareness of white privilege comes a choice. You can tell yourself that you didn’t choose to be white so white privilege isn’t your problem and probably get away with it.
However, though white people have no hand in being white, we are responsible for what we do with privilege. Privilege comes with responsibility. White people need to understand and be conscious of the advantages they have in order to work to dissolve the disadvantages attached to being a person of color in America.
