The Responsibility of the White American
Our country is broken. But it was broken long before the murders and protests.
America has been broken since its designers declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” yet legally constituted that the life of a black slave was equal to 3/5ths that of a white person’s.
Thanks to early practices, policies and laws, white Americans have enjoyed a societal and systematic advantage over non-whites, commonly referred to as white privilege.
Frances E. Kendall defined white privilege as, “an institutional (rather than personal) set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble the people who dominate the powerful positions in our institutions.”
The existence of white privilege is wrong and unfair. Skin color shouldn’t affect the potential of a person’s life, but it has and does, daily.
As white Americans, it’s important to know what the unanimous message from non-white Americans is. It’s not one of condemnation, for they know we didn’t get to pick out our skin color. Rather, they’re asking us to use our meritless privilege to shatter the systemic, one-sided, skin-tone-favoring cycle. They’re asking us to help make things fair.
For this to happen, we need to recognize that our privilege can be a tool for change, which can only begin once each one of us consciously chooses to accept its unearned origins — that you and I, as a white person, have done nothing to receive an edge in life. That you and I do not deserve to have a leg up on our black and brown neighbors.
Once we recognize the power our privilege has, we need to use that power to relinquish power. Only we can effectively stop the stream of systemic privilege.
We need to use our influence to equalize opportunity across the board, create a fairer playing field of life, and protect the underprivileged from being stifled by the unequal system of power.
It’s going to be a long time until the system shifts completely and permanently to benefit all people, but each time we actively use our current privilege for good is a step in the correct direction.
Below are resources that share specific ways white Americans can positively use their privilege.
https://link.medium.com/G2CKu9XxV6
https://hbr.org/2018/09/use-your-everyday-privilege-to-help-others
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kyle-korver-utah-jazz-nba
