White Privilege

I loved the articles for this week’s reading. They were all thought provoking and challenging. Reading this literature influenced me to spend a great deal of time in reflection on how white privilege pertains to me. Peggy Micontosh did a great job explaining what white privilege is and offering a long list of examples to ensure that her readers have a thorough understanding of the subject. I also enjoyed the other articles because they offered personal opinions, and experiences about white privilege, while still being very informative.  Lastly all the articles were in harmony about White Privilege being a social issue that affects us all. If anyone lacks in conviction to deconstruct or correct the  problem they are participating in continuing the a flawed, unjust, and prejudice system.

My favorite of the articles were the two written by the white mothers.  A Mother’s White Privilege was so powerful because it focused on the privilege of being free from anxiety of your children being in danger on the basis of skin color. I was especially touched by the article because some of the author’s arguments seemed so preposterous, yet when examined have an immense amount of legitimacy. Why should a mother be afraid of her children being murdered by the police for playing with toys at a walmart, or having car problems? Simply hearing statements like that is absurd, and yet we have evidence that those are in fact rational concerns of mothers’ of color. What is more alarming is that these concerns are birthed not from fictitious or similar events, but from actual events.

I also found 6 Things White Parents Can Do To Raise Socially Conscious Children to be a very insightful article. Reading the article almost felt like reading a coming of age story. The author spends time telling stories about her children learning how to live in a world filled with diversity, and her personal involvement in helping them develop a proper perspective of how to deal with diversity. I loved the roller coaster of emotions I experienced while reading this Article. I thought that each account expressed innocence and was simply adorable, but quickly shifted into serious hard learned lessons. Her children go from learning the difference between Barak and Michelle Obama, and other Black Americans on magazine covers, to learning that fear causes people to do awful things. While I do not have children of my own, and understand that this article is about raising children, I found it to be the most helpful. I was able to recognize that helping others see prejudice and white privilege is painful for both parties, but necessary to deconstruct prejudice in our society. I was also inspired by the innocence and intelligence of the children in each account. They associated themselves with white culture and and expressed sympathy without being taught or told to do so. I am reminded that we were not born with our prejudice and can change. We simply need humility and a child like heart.