Rayomah’s artwork was chosen for this response because I felt it best related to Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. A quote that stood out to me was “Whiteness protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence, which I was being subtly trained to visit in turn upon people of color.” This quote and illustration demonstrate that we should all be treated equally, rather than one race having more privileges than the other. We are all humans, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or religion, and everyone deserves basic human rights.
Many people of color are unlikely to have experienced what McIntosh has. We don’t have the same advantages as most white people, such as not having to worry about our safety because of the police, not being judged based on our physical appearance, being able to find representation in literature or media, not being subjected to racial bias, being able to avoid racial stereotypes, and so on.
It is not racist, however, to acknowledge one’s white privilege. White privilege continues as a result of long-standing racism and prejudice.
In the black community, the majority of us grew up viewing police officers as a source of danger rather than a source of protection, especially in light of recent events. Personally, I’ve never thought of them as a threat, although I have had “the talk” previously.
Despite the fact that I have never been in danger as a result of my race, I have been treated differently in public because of it. When I went into a beauty supply store, I was followed by someone who worked there, which made me feel uneasy. I also overheard them talking about me as if they were checking to see whether I was stealing or not. It got to the point where I was so fed up that I walked out of the store and never returned. On another occasion, I went thrift shopping with my black cousin and friend, and not only were we followed by the employees but we were also accused of stealing because we had our own bags. This led me to believe in our appearance. We are seen as thieves or as a threat to other people since we are often judged on our appearance.
What we can do as a society is respect one another and recognize that one set of people should not have more privilege than another because, regardless of who we are, we are all human beings with rights.
