White Privilege is Not About Guilt

I do not feel guilty about my whiteness. I am not a self-hating white girl. However, in the past 10 days, I have been told this time and again. I have been following the story of Mike Brown for eight days. Only eight days because until Sunday, there was not a lot of coverage about the shooting of this young man. Even at that time, a majority of the reports were coming from independent reporters and citizens on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri.

It is not the first time that I have been questioned for my mentions of the term "white privilege". It seems from my experience that my being white and acknowledging that I benefit from this in this country makes other white folks uncomfortable, angry and all about retaliation. People seem to think that their comments and anger are going to intimidate or silence me.

However, I do not think that I even really understood the term until the past week. What has opened my eyes? A little research, a little listening, and a little reflection. I have never in my life considered myself to be a racist, and I still do not. But that does not change the fact that I have certain "unalienable rights" that other people in America do not enjoy. And it is time for us all to acknowledge this. Until we do, things in this country are not going to change.

So what does white privilege mean in my world?

-It means that not one time in my life have I been pulled over, frisked, or shot at based solely on the way I look.

-It means that during the three demonstrations I have participated in this year, it never worried me that I would be gassed, hit by a beanbag or rubber bullet, or beaten with a baton.

-It means that I can wear a hooded sweatshirt on the street after dark without being killed by one of my neighbors.

-It means that I can get credit, rent an apartment or get a job without worrying that my name is going to make an impact.

- It means that I am not questioned about my hairstyle or the way I wear my clothing

-It means that I can believe in the American Dream. I never have to question whether hard work and a good education will lead to some level of prosperity.

-It means that at no time when I was growing up was there a question about whether or not I would go to college. It was expected.

-It means that I can question those in positions of power without fearing for my life.

-It means that if my son is shot and killed under questionable circumstances, he will first be seen as a victim and not a thug even if he has a criminal record.

I could go on and on with this list, but I should not have to. Every white person could come up with their own list if they wanted to be honest. I have watched social media critically in the past week and I have taken the time to record some of the disturbing comments under the #ferguson hashtag. Trust me when I tell you that these are a very small sampling of what I have seen.

The only thing keeping black society from killing itself is white police officers. You Niggers in #Ferguson should be thankful.

We whites are showing you blacks how powerless you really are. We had to remind y'all once again & there's nothing y'all can do #Ferguson

Wonder how long the Niggers in #Ferguson would last if the white police let them alone? Criminals like #MikeBrown need white discipline

ok "protestors" time to go home and get to bed. You all have work tomorrow. Right? O wait. I almost forgot. You bums don't work.

Rodney king was a junky on pcp resisting arrest and driving 120 mph. He deserved it just like the shit in #ferguson was deserved

Every 2 bit ghetto philosopher claims #Ferguson is the start of something. Eh, wait till they run out of crack! Nighty night.

They're looting the liquor stores and hair salons? No surprises there. I bet the libraries are safe tho.

If Darren Wilson was racist why did it take him 6 years to kill a black man?

Those are blatant right? The more subtle arguments are still about the race problem that exists in America. A popular one is the response from a lot of white folks bringing up black on black crime. Or some folks point out that Mike Brown robbed a store prior to the shooting. My favorite is the outcry that ignores the original fact and focuses on the looting that has happened out of anger and frustration about the state of things. A majority of the comments made by black folks on this situation are being attacked by white folks who think that they can silence those speaking out.

There have been four unarmed black men killed by police in the past month. That is a fact. One of them was selling cigarettes illegally, one of them was carrying a BB gun in a Wal-mart, and one of them robbed a store and allegedly resisted arrest. If any of these men had been given a chance to go to trial for their alleged crimes, would they have received the death penalty? Certainly not.

So what does all of this mean? It means that even though we ignore the problems, they still exist. If you have not already, I suggest that you do your own research about police officers killing black people. In a search of Google with the term "unarmed whites killed by police", I did not find one example after 10 pages of results. And it goes beyond Ferguson, or LA, or New York City. Segregation is still a fact, substandard inner city education is still a fact, the disproportionate number of black people in prison for non-violent crimes is still a fact. We can bury our heads in the sand, or we can be allies and do something. Because another part of having white privilege is that our voices generally matter more to policy makers, and those in authority. Speak up, stand up and listen to the people who are living with these realities. Saying that it does not happen, does not change the lived experience of oppressed people.

---Please note that comments on this blog are moderated, so if all you want to do is post inflammatory responses, they are not likely to be published. Move along.