I Am Privileged

I am almost as privileged as it gets. Privilege is the benefit that some people receive due to how close you are to the dominant culture. The dominant culture is the group of people in society who hold the most power and they are often the majority. The individuals who are white, middle class, and christian are a part of the dominant culture. These are the individuals who have established which behaviors, values, and traditions that are considered "acceptable" in today's society. Society has made it seem like you have to fit into this perfect box of normalcy to be considered a human that deserves respect and compassion. Our institutions and government have been built upon white supremacy and over the last four years, this idealism has been amplified by our current president. This is called systemic racism, and if you are white you benefit in this society just from being you.

Whether you have realized it or not, racism is all around us. It is in the air we breathe and it is a part of our society. The attack at the capital on January 6th has made it very apparent that our country is deeply rooted in white supremacy and it needs to be confronted and dismantled. You cannot deny that if these terrorists had been black, the outcome would have been much different.

Black lives matter. Black souls matter. Black peace matters. Black joy matters. Black dreams matter. Black safety matter matter. Black futures matter. Black freedom matters.

There are many different perceptions and definitions of racism. Racism is the prejudice or discrimination against someone based on their race. Everyone has personal prejudice and biases, but it's when we address our biases head on when things change. Biases are usually conscious, but sometimes they are not. We absorb prejudice and bias when we are very young and they become part of our belief system. Without even thinking we have this stereotype in our head about what people should look like and how they should act. When we address our biases and begin to truly educate ourselves on what this country is built on, we have the power to change the world.

I could write so much more on this topic and maybe I will in another post, but I still have a lot of education to do myself. It is very important for us to realize that you can't just accept that you aren't racist. I would love to believe that I'm not racist and I hope that I am not, but my goal is to become anti-racist and to confront this issue head on. We need to have compassion, understanding, and empathy to acknowledge our deeply rooted white supremacy in this country. Use your privilege to amplify and acknowledge black voices and learn what you can personally do to help abolish and dismantle white supremacy and racism. I am currently reading a book about anti-racism that gives 20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work and I highly recommend this to anyone that is wanting to be a part of the change. We need to use our privilege to educate ourselves enough so that we can feel confident talking about this and educating people when the conversation comes up.

If a conversation is hard, it is probably one that is worth having.

https://www.amazon.com/This-Book-Anti-Racist-lessons-action/dp/0711245215