Scholarly Article Reflection 2: White privilege: unpacking the invisilbe knapsack

"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" (McIntosh, 1989, p. 1).  McIntosh is talking about "white privilege" or the opportunities and special treatment bestowed upon people of my skin color that most of us never realize.

I'm white.  I'm also a woman.  I often forget that while men continue to be awarded benefits that we women are not, we white women are rewarded benefits that people of other races are not.  There is a hierarchy that exists in this country that we don't talk about.  It's either all or nothing when it comes to race in this country ; either racism doesn't exist anymore or it exists everywhere. But because I'm white I'm afforded the privilege of traveler.

With my knapsack I can move confidently through the world as a respected or infamously treated subject.  Regardless of how people might observe me, with interest or without, for the most part they're taught to believe that I belong wherever I'm standing.  These things are true. No matter if we believe them or not.  This is the world in which we live.  McIntosh states (1998), "Disapproving of the systems won't be enough to change them" (p.5).  That is the heart of the problem.

First, we must convince ourselves and others around us that despite how nicely we white folks are treated, other people still aren't treated as nicely, and that it makes us undeserving.  McIntosh says (1998), "As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage" (p. 1).  The fact of the matter is, whether we know this or not, it doesn't make it go away.

Then, we have to come up with the answers to a lot of questions.  How do we go about unlearning to live the "easy life"?  How can we give back our knapsacks?  If we can give back our knapsacks, how do we convince others to do the same?  Talking about it makes it better.  Reading Peggy McIntosh's article and internalizing her words helps.  Sharing the article with others might help too.  Talking about the stuff that we're scared to talk about, too.

References:
McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack.  Retrieved from
http://sascwr.org/resources/pdfs/anti-oppression/WHITE%20PRIVILEGE.pdf