White Privilege In African American Culture

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Attempting to identify the complexity of what white privilege is, it is complicated to recount my educational experiences as an African-American woman without acknowledging the presence of white-privilege. The construction of white privilege is dynamic, but the term is defined as societal privileges, specifically in western societies, that benefit people identified as white, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances (“Teaching Tolerance, 2017). Contemporarily, whiteness in any aspect has come- and continuous to come- with a vast array of benefits and advantages not shared by many people of color, specifically African- Americans.
As I recollect on my experiences at my …show more content…
I do however question how this incident affected the African-American cheerleaders on her team. When the news erupted that she was convicted of the crime, they were very defensive and made excuses for her actions. Initially, I empathized with her teammates and understood why they were so hurt. However, when I recount this memory, I am not able to explain this situation without acknowledging white privilege. If I had the opportunity I would ask the African-American cheerleaders if they were aware of her white privilege and if they believed they had the same privileges? I must also ask if and how this affected their identity as a person of color. These specific texts aid me in furthering my research as well as identifying the underlying concept of racism. In regards to the microaggressions defined and discussed by Rankine, in conjunction with my experience as a high school student with white privilege and ‘When did I realize what white privilege is?’
While reading Citizen, the reader discovers the different aspects of carried out by identity. One of those aspects is who we truly are- the ‘self-self’, as Rankine discusses. But this identity, the one with which the reader should identify most, is hindered by several other identities which are placed upon people of color based on physical and historical contexts. The ‘historical self’ is perhaps the most troubling in America, because the concept comes with connotations of personal worth and hierarchical social dynamics with the privilege of whites on top and the blackness, in any facet, on
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