I first heard about white privilege from a friend of mine a few years ago.  She was working on her
MBA and one of her classes had a discussion on the topic.  Actually, the focal point was white male privilege.  But after a little independent study and mere daily observations, I discovered that the concept of white privilege is a viable consideration with our society’s ideas about education, social standing, professional development and the basic fundamentals of life.  In my friend’s class her white, male professor said society typically views all white men as safe, educated, well-rounded individuals with all the acceptable, social graces and advantages that America deems necessary for success and quality of life.  It was not until she said this same professor confessed to having reaped the benefits of white male privilege that I begin to see the validity in using this term to describe the understood advantages white people are born into, sometimes knowingly and most times blindly.  Any person who is non-white knows exactly what white privilege is without having to see or hear a definition of the expression.  None the less, let me clarify by defining this very real concept.  It is probably better to first define privilege, which is a right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by specific parties to which they are intended.  Now just replace “specific parties” with white people and you have a bona fide definition of white privilege.

I am confident that most Black people know about white privilege but have probably given it a slew of other labels.  It is white privilege that has given birth to the acronym DWB (Driving While Black).  White people are totally immune to being pulled over solely because of their race or color.  It is white privilege that helped produce the saying Black on Black crime.  This society has adopted the idea that when white people commit crimes against other white people it has nothing to do with their being white. While for Black people it seems that the reason we murder, rape or rob one another in our own communities is because we are Black and that’s just how we treat each other.  It is white privilege that has created the need for most, if not all, affirmative action programs.  White privilege ensures young white boys and girls will never have a need for programs that help level the educational and professional playing fields, thus making them viable competitors for other young people of color. By merely being born, white girls and boys will be exempt from certain liabilities to which non-whites are subjected to and must overcome.

We see white privilege on our jobs, when shopping, while driving and especially in the media.  White privilege denotes that all other races are inferior and therefore are not deemed socially, educationally or even spiritually competent to exist on the same level as whites.  This country was created on the idea that if you’re white you’re all right; but if you’re Black, get back! 

Now, me being the type woman that pays keen attention to my surroundings, I recognize clearly the different ways white privilege gets in the way of me being my Black self.  Consider this:

1. I have to be acutely aware of what I say and how I say it in the presence of my white co-workers. 
2. From kindergarten to my senior year in high school, history books did not lead me to believe that my ancestors made any contributions (significant or otherwise) to the development of this country or this world.
3. Finding natural hair care products for people with very kinky hair is damn near impossible.
4. Some stores don’t even carry Essence, Black Enterprise or Ebony magazine but you can bet that all stores will have Cosmopolitan, Time and Good HouseKeeping.
5. If I am the only Black woman in a group of all white males or females, I have to speak loudly to be heard.  And when I do I’m labeled “hostile” and “angry”.
6. If I want to cook a pot of greens with a piece of ham hock or fat back meat, I will find such items in certain neighborhoods only.
7. If something happens in the Black community I have white acquaintances who will take my opinion as the opinion of every Black person on the planet.
8. If I oppose any government actions or discuss my disdain for the ills of this country, I am labeled a cultural outsider (and of course the whole thing about being “hostile” and “angry” comes back into play).
9. If I become pregnant without being married, it will be attributed to my not being able to find a husband because nearly all single Black men are on the down low or in jail.  Or that I’m just loose like most Black women and it was bound to happen anyway.
10. Because diseases like sickle cell anemia and lupus mainly affect people of color, they will probably never receive the same attention as diseases such as breast cancer and “depression”.
11. If I openly (or even privately) argue with a white person at work, there is a 99.9% chance that nearly everything I say will negatively affect my chances for advancement.
12. I’m a Black woman, so my ass is supposed to be fat, which takes me to #13….
13. Finding a pair of jeans to properly fit a full, ample bottom is about as easy as finding natural hair products.
14. If I’m late, it’s attributed to my operating on CP (colored people’s) time.
15. If I become missing, my name and picture may make the local, evening news. But unlike Natalee Holloway and that ridiculous runaway bride, my absence would not garner national attention.
16. I will have to teach my children that despite white privilege, like race, they do matter.

As I type this, I can’t help but wonder how many people will read these words and think to themselves: “She’s just being overly sensitive. We have overcome.” But the reality is America is still grossly divided, separated and unfair.  As we continue to bubble over as a great American melting pot, the presence of white privilege may seem diluted because now we share the brunt of its existence with people of Asian, Hispanic and Indian descent. But don’t sleep.  We are still governed, directed, mortgaged, financed, repaired and educated by mostly white men who have come up in a world of privilege.  A world that has granted them rights, advantages and immunities that our generation will never experience.  Yes, our ancestors have paved a marvelous way for us that is far better than anything they ever experienced.  For that we are blessed and sincerely grateful.  So until sistahs can stroll into any given store and purchase some Afro Sheen, an Essence magazine, a package of fat back and some form-fitting, booty jeans, we still got work to do!  But seriously, now is not the time to get comfortable.  We have to remain mindful that we deserve a life of privilege.  The unfortunate reality is earning that privilege carries a hefty price tag.  Are we ready to pay for that membership?  

Op- Ed Home