I Spoke With My Racist White Family About White Privilege
Trying to bridge the disconnect between far right and far left beliefs.
Half of my family stems from a long line of poor farmers, while the other half are immigrants from Germany. My family is well acquainted with hard work and little reward. They have clawed their way up the social ladder with little to no luck or good fortune, so when I approach these family members with a barrage of social media posts illustrating white privilege and systemic racism, the screeching halt of burning brake pads fills the air.
White Privilege means I didn’t struggle.
Why is there this immediate call to defense when one group is highlighted over another? All Lives Matter is hastily argued against Black Lives Matter. Is it fear that lifting one group means tearing down another? All lives do matter, but throughout American history, Black lives have never mattered as much as white lives.
The problem I have found in discussing white privilege with my white friends/family is that they often shape the definition of this term in their personal experience.
“I have white privilege, so that must mean I am a loser who hasn’t worked for anything in my life,” They huff sarcastically.
White privilege does not negate your personal life struggles, nor does it diminish the strength of character you have built. You are not a victim of your white privilege.
“White privilege exists because of historic, enduring racism and biases. Therefore, defining white privilege also requires finding working definitions of racism and bias.”
Racism. The prejudice against another race.
Bias. A belief whether conscious or unconscious.
Ugh, the new catch phrase “Systemic Racism.”
There is nothing “new” about systemic racism. The very term itself is only a reality because of Black American history.
White privilege comes into play when institutions, regulations and community powers act on racial biases consistently over a long period of time. This historic unfolding is illustrated in state regulated voting rights, home loans and skewed criminal sentencing. It is both a conscious choice and an unconscious reality to exist with white as the default.
Everybody has opportunity if they choose a different path.
The dark and disgusting history of slavery and Civil Rights in America would be much easier to move on from if racism remained at a personal level, but the racial bias of white superiority over Black individuals filtered into the authoritative level. The people in power (law enforcement, state and federal government) all took these racial biases, this racism and acted upon it both consciously and unconsciously.
For years these moments in American history have been tainted by white superiority creating a present day reality that affords white individuals a different experience from black individuals.
Does this mean that white people are going to breeze through life? No.
Does it mean that black people should give up and accept being a victim? No.
My father is an ex-cop who recently discussed with me his thoughts on the mangled intricacies of racial bias and systemic racism in America. He shook his head, a humorless smirk on his face as he warned that we are in too deep.
“Things will never get better,” He promised, but I challenge that defeatist attitude with the power I’ve witnessed attending a peaceful protest.
I challenge that with the number of young people finding passion to get involved with their local government.
Conversations spurred within my own family and friendships.
The collective power of so many voices coming together to agree not on the how but the why.
Things need to change. I’ve never understood the ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan, but I do agree that we have the power and the potential to eventually ‘Make America Great.’
