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It’s Okay to Be White
Emotions are natural. When we are judged or attacked — or even perceive it is happening — it is natural to become defensive or bristle. This is an internal defense mechanism that frequently begins even before we know it has started.
During a conversation, with fellow writer and friend, Jonna Ivin-Patton, she relayed how she was first introduced to the idea of White Privilege, years ago, by a friend of hers. She bristled. “I am as poor as hell and barely have anything,” she initially said with disbelief. “What privilege do I have?”
It was through further conversations and reading that Jonna had what she described as an “Oh shit!” moment. The epiphany — white privilege didn’t mean she never experienced financial hardships. White privilege was not equal to White wealth. It meant she did not have to carry the added burden of massive institutional racism. She educated herself and soon realized that yes, you can be poor and still benefit from White privilege.
Concepts can be difficult to grasp when we first encounter them. She is not alone in having struggled to understand this. I freely confess I felt defensive when the idea of Male Privilege was discussed with me for the first time. “Privilege?” I thought incredulously to myself. “I am a Black man in the U.S. My every failure is magnified, while my every victory is immediately equated to Affirmative Action…
