DAY 22: Give up denying white privilege and how you benefit from it (if you are white)

White privilege is the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed upon people solely because they have white skin. And while this doesn’t mean that every white person avoids challenges and hardships, it does mean that every white person benefits from a system intentionally built to disadvantage BIPOC.

It is important to understand that white privilege was intentionally created centuries ago to divide poor whites from poor blacks, thus keeping white elites in power despite them being massively outnumbered.  It started with laws that offered citizenship, voting rights, access to land and structural power to poor white males.  While some of these laws are no longer in place, their impact continues through differences in intergenerational wealth accumulation, whose voices are prioritised in media, who has access to positions of power and whose behaviour, language and culture are considered “the norm”.

When white people start to recognize white privilege it often causes feelings of guilt and shame.  To alleviate this discomfort, some white people react by denying that they have benefited from it or that it exists. A more helpful and healthy response is to recognize that you, as a white person, did not create this system of privilege, that you benefit from it and that you have a role to play in dismantling it.  

TIP: Having white privilege does not make you a bad person, and denying you have it does not make it go away.  What you do with it is what counts. So, here are some ideas on what you can do to leverage your white privilege:

1. If you have wealth, donate to BIPOC led organisations or make purchases from BIPOC owned companies. 

2. If you have a media platform or other ways to influence, share that platform with BIPOC so their voices can be heard.  

3. If you hold a senior position in a company or institution, find ways to mentor and support the promotion of BIPOC in your organisation.

4. If you witness harassment of BIPOC, regardless of who is doing it, speak up.

RESOURCES:

• What is White Privilege?

• Start Sharing Your White Privilege

• How to talk to others about their white privilege