1. 1
Understanding The White Veil:
The Barriers Between White Privilege and Race Relations
By Karl Sather
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Prepared for Sociology 495: Senior Seminar
Dr. Afroza Anwary

2. 2
Table of Contents
Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 3
I. Research Purpose ----------------------------------------------------------Page 4
II. Theoretical Background: White Privilege ----------------------------- Page 4
Methodology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 5
I. Theoretical Contributions-------------------------------------------------Page 11
Review of the Literature----------------------------------------------------------------Page 5
Conceptualization------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 16
I. Racial Hegemony-----------------------------------------------------------Page 17
II. The White Veil--------------------------------------------------------------Page 18
Findings -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 18
I. White Privilege--------------------------------------------------------------Page 19
II. Colorblindness---------------------------------------------------------------Page 19
III. Racial Hegemony------------------------------------------------------------Page 20
Conclusion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 20
References ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 23

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It isAugust9th
, 2014 andit’sa brightand sunnyday.You anda frienddecide togoto the
conveniencestore toacquire provisionsforthe day,despite yourlackof money.Since youhave no
money,youandyour frienddecide tosteal the itemsyoudesire.Allyoumanage togetaway withisa
pack of cigarillosbecause the storeownerhasspottedyouandcalledthe police.
You run fromthe store andmake it a blockaway before apolice officerencountersyouabout
three minuteslater.Anargumentensues,and five minuteslater,youare face downonthe pavement
withnine bulletsinyourperson.Life oozesoutof youontothe pavementandyouare confusedhowthis
ishappening.The lastthingyousee before lifeisdevoidof yourbody isredasphalt,and a white police
officercallingforanambulance withanunloadedguninhishand.
Afteryou’re gone,yourmotherwitnessessomethinghorrific:anentire Eurocentricnation’s
newsoutletsare attemptingtojustifythismurderbyofferingconflictingreportsof whathappened.The
discourse thatensuesisfilledwithassumptions,racism, apartheid, andwhite newsofficialsdebating
whetherornot thiswasa raciallybiasedact,while claimingwe live inapost-racial society.
Thoughthisstory seems nothingmore thanfictitious whenspelledoutinthe termsusedabove,
thiswas whatMichael Brownlivedanddiedthrough, andhow a nation’scollectivethoughtwasshrink
wrappedwithdelusionsof colorblindness,white privilegeandpost-racial discourseinthe eventsof
Michael Brown’sdeath(Brown 2014).
Ferguson,Missouri,the locationof thisincident,wastransformed bythe eventsthatensued
betweenOfficerDarrenWilsonandMichael Brown (Brown2014). Michael Brown’sdeathincited
arguablythe most importantsocial movementof thismillenniumsofar.Protestscallingforracial
equalityandthe abolishmentof institutionalizedracismwithinthe policeforce inFergusonandthe rest
of the nationwere culminatedbyadistinctphrase:BlackLivesMatter (Pulliam-Moore andMyers2014).
The phrase Black LivesMatter alludes tothe ideologythatthe blackcommunitydeservestobe treated

4. 4
the same in termsof worth andhow incidencessuchasMichael Brownare viewedbythe white
community andthe UnitedStatesas a whole.
The interactionof the white community ondiscussionboardsof online periodicalspertainingto
the Fergusonprotestsandthe eventsthatleadto Michael Brown’sdeath allude tosome of the barriers
that preventthe white communityfromfullyunderstandingrace relations.“It’sin[blackpeople’s]
genes.Nowpolice have areal reasontostart shootingthem,”one said aboutthe protests.“Typical
response byblacks.Nomorals,nocharacter, nosense.Theyare bringingourbelovedcountrytomoral
and economicbrankruptcy(sic),”saidanother(ThorsenandGiegerich2014).
These responsesare filledwithcodedracism,orraciallyinflammatorystatementshiddenbehind
seeminglyambiguousstatements, thatdehumanizesthe blackcommunityasa whole andblamesthe
blackcommunityforinstitutionalizedracisminthe UnitedStates.The responsesare alsofilledwith
white privilege,aconceptPeggyMcIntoshdefinesas a“weightlessbackpackof special provisions,”or
advantagesthatothersdo nothave that are bestoweduponawhite individualdue totheirskincolor
(McIntosh,1989). The white individualsdeployedtheirprivilegesinthe onlinediscussionboardsby
usingvehementlyracistlanguage thatwaswidelyacceptedbyothersonthe page.The white
commentatorsalsodidnothave to worry thattheywouldbe persecutedbecause of theirrace,or would
have discriminatoryphrasesangrilyhurledattheminresponse totheircomments.
In subsequentsectionsof thisresearch,barriersthatpreventthe white communityfrom
engaginginrace relationsinanaccurate,clear,and informedmanorwill be examinedindepth,suchas
the conceptof white privilege,colorblindness,andracial hegemony.
The purpose of thispaper isto examine how andwhythe white communityisunabletofully
understandthe incidencesof raciallybiasedpolicingandthe violence thatensuesonthe partof police
officersdue toso. Due to such, the questionthatwill be guidingthe research isasfollows:whatkeeps

5. 5
the white communityinthe UnitedStatesfromunderstanding,engagingin,andadvocatingfairlywhen
it comesto racial conflict?
Methodology
The current researchfollowedameta-analysisformat,whereinresearchstudieswereaccessed
and retrievedfromonline databases.ProQuestandSociological Abstractsdatabases wereheavily
utilizedinthe searchforsecondarydatasetstobe exploredandanalyzed. Tenacademic,peer-reviewed
journal articleswere specificallysoughtoutfortheircredibilityandgeneralizability.Anyandall articles
utilizedwithinthisresearchwere tobe publishedafter2005.
Keywordsusedtoaccrue articles were “white privilege,”“race relations,”and“hegemony.”
Abstractswere thenscannedtodetermine if theyrelatedtothe guidingquestionof the research: what
keepsthe white communityinthe UnitedStatesfromunderstanding,engagingin,andadvocating fairly
whenitcomesto racial conflict?Those relatingto,orfallingwithin,the parametersof the research
questionwere thendeemedacceptablebythe researcherandwere utilizedwithinthe research.
Acceptedarticleswere readandsummarizedwithin anannotatedbibliographytodetermine
commonthemesbetweenstudiesandthe use of theorywithineachstudy.Uponanalysisof the
secondary datasetacquiredfromthe bodyof literature,conceptswere synthesized,grouped,and
definedtodetermine theirapplicabilitytothe currentstudyand the layoutof said study.The resultsof
saidanalysisare nowto be discussed.
Reviewof the Literature
A mountingbodyof literature hascome asof late examiningthe barriersthatdisallowthe white
communityfromaccuratelyandfairlyengaginginracial discourse.While empirical researchhasvaried
inits methodologytoexamine the effectsof these barriers,the majorityconsensusisthatwhite

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privilege,colorblindness,andracial hegemonyisasalientcategoryforthe outgroup,butan invisible
mechanismof privilege forthose belongingtothe white community(FordandAirihenbuwa2010;
Brown2009; Espositoand Finley2009).
Seekingtoexplainwhyrace isa salientcategoryforminoritygroupsbutan unimportant one to
a privilegedgroup,GrossmanandCharmaraman(2009) examinedthe role of racial identityin
adolescentyouth.The researchersaimedtoreduce the colorblindnessthatisinherentWhite privilege
by exploringhowWhite adolescentsviewedtheirracial identity.GrossmanandCharmaraman(2009)
employedagroundedtheoryapproach toanswerthe followingquestions:Dowhite adolescentswho
are a numerical minorityintheirschool view race asan importantcategorycomparedto those whoare
a majorityintheirschool?Doessocioeconomicclasshave aneffectonthe importance of racial identity?
What themesarise whenWhite adolescentyouthare confrontedaboutracial andethnicidentity?Does
the school theygo to influencethe answerstothese questions?
Groundedtheoryapproachusesinductive reasoningratherthandeductivereasoningtoexplain
or answerleadingquestionsthatguide the research.Thismethodologyisdevoidof ahypothesisand
usesthe datasetto developatheoryof itsownto explainthe phenomenonbeingstudied.The datais
analyzedandcodedintodistinctphrasesthatallowsthe researchertodevelopatheoryfromthe ground
up that can be usedto frame the data and subsequentlythe research(GrossmanandCharmaraman
2009)
Conceptsbeingexaminedinthisstudyare White Privilege andWhite Racial Identity.Grossman
and Charmaraman(2009) define White privilegeascolorblindnessor,the acceptance thatwe are all
humans,andracial categoriesdonotmatternor holdimportance inthe constructionof identity.White
racial identitywasdefinedasa categorythat manysee as “normal”or “default”andotherracial
categoriesare builtuponwhiteness(GrossmanandCharmaraman2009). These are strong conceptsto

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studyas theyhave beenrevealed asmeaningful categoriesinpreviousstudiesonwhite privilege (Ford
and Airihenbuwa2010; Brown2009; Espositoand Finley2009),and discoveringtheirmanifestationsis
paramountto mitigatingthe social illsthatfollow privilege(Hankins,Cohran,Derickson2012).
The sample inthisstudywas createdusinga secondarydatasetthatanalyzedadolescents’racial
and ethnicidentitiesof monoracial andmixed-racedyouth.The currentstudyfocusedonthe 781 White
respondentsandtheirresponses(Grossman andCharmaraman2009). The respondentswere gathered
througha snowball samplingtechnique wherein3schoolswere contactedandsubsequentlyagreedto
allowtheirstudentbodytoparticipate throughpassiveinformedconsentwhereinparentalpermission
formswere disbursed.The surveyadministeredgathereddemographicinformationsuchasage,gender,
motherand father’seducationlevels,aswellasperceivedimportance of racial-ethnicidentification,and
the importance of hisor her ancestral background(GrossmanandCharmaraman2009). Qualitative
analyseswere thendeployedtoassessthe influencesof parental education,central location,andbeing
of minority/majoritystatusintheirschool onthe importance of aracial and ethnicidentity.
Thoughthisstudyshowsa broad range of importance placeduponwhite identity,itwasfound
that concurrentwithpastresearch,white childrenare likelytodistance themselvesfromtheirracial
identification,insteadfocusingonethnicorigins(GrossmanandCharmaraman2009). The degree of
importance instilleduponrace as identitywasinverselyrelatedwiththe levelof educationtheirparents
achieved.Inotherwords,the higherthe level of education,the lowerthe importance one placesonrace
as an identifier.Finally,the situationalcontextof minority/majoritystatuswithintheirhighschool did
not significantlyimpactperceptionsof the meaningfulnessof race.
The methodof usingsecondarydata to determinethe importance of racial-ethnicidentity
amongwhite youthwasill founded.The currentstudyislimitedbythe factthat the respondents
participatinginthe secondarydatasetwere primedbybeingtoldthatthe studyhadto do with“how

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people formopinionsof whotheyare.”The authorsshouldhave deployedamutuallyexclusive
questionnaire whereinthe respondentswere toldthe studyhadtodo withthe constructionof race in
society.The respondentswouldhave thenbeenattentivetorace as a meaningfulcategoryandmay
have givenmore thoughttothe meaningfulnessof theirresponsesdealingwithracial identity,rather
than dismissingthe questionaltogether.
It iswell documentedthatwhenwhite individualsare confrontedwiththe illegitimate
advantagesdue to theirracial category,the individual will experience alevelof discomfortthatlikely
arisesfroma sense of cognitive dissonance. VanWormerandFalkner(2012) aimedto discoverhow
White individualsgrapplewiththe advantagestheyhave earnedfrompossessingWhiteness.
VanWormer and Falkner(2012) usedthe transcriptsfroma previousstudythatexaminedthe
personal narrativesof housemaids whowere apartof the Great Migration.30 AfricanAmericanwomen
whoworkedforWhite familieswithinthe periodof 1920 to 1960 were interviewedabouttheir
experiences.23 White womenwhohada Maid live intheirhouseholdwere alsointerviewed.These
womenwere interviewedaboutfemalerelationshipsandbondingacrossracial lines.
The authors of the currentstudywere interestedinfiguringout whythere wasa striking
reluctance toparticipate insaidstudy.The authorspresumedthatthe reasonbeingwasthat theywere
aware to the oppressionandbigotrytheywere perpetuatingthroughhavingaMaid andaimedat
figuringouthowthese womenreconciledthe negotiationbetweenthe ideologiesof todayandthe
valuesof the DeepSouthduringthe JimCrow era. How did theycategorize these oppressivenormsof
segregationwiththeirvaluesof today?Have theychanged?The researcherscontactedthe respondents
inthissecondarydata setand providedthemwithalistof open-endedquestionsaimedatclarifying
aspectsof theirinterview beinganalyzed.Interviewswere completedinperson,overthe telephone,or

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were submittedthroughe-mail inwrittenform.The resultswerethenanalyzed,coded,andsearchedfor
copingstrategiesemployedbythe respondents.
VanWormer and Falkner(2012) foundthatthe respondentsinthisstudyexhibitedsymptomsof
a psychological theoryknownascognitivedissonance.Cognitive dissonance,asdefinedbythe authors,
is“the state of tensionthatoccurswheneverapersonholdstwocognitions(ideas,beliefs,attitudes,
opinions) thatare psychologicallyinconsistentwithone another,”(vanWormerandFalkner2012).
People desire tohave aconsistencybetweentheirmoral standardsandtheirbehavior.Whentheyare
confrontedthattheirbehaviors,theyare facedwithanxiety,andare forcedtoreconcile.Itwasfound
that respondentsinthe currentstudycopedwiththeirsituationsthrough:denial,defensiveness,guilt,
providingcare foranother,giftgiving,blamingthe victim, defiance of cultural norms,andbecomingan
allyusingpolitical means(vanWormerandFalkner2012).
Thisstudyis useful forexplainingthe angstfeltbythe White communitywhentheyare
confrontedwiththe privilegestheyposses. VanWormerandFalkner(2012) use wordsfromreal people
to provide real reconciliationsforthe social illstheyperpetuatedthroughparticipatingandsubsequently
benefittingfromsegregation.
The secondarydatasetand use of personal narrativesby vanWormerand Falkner(2012) do
indeedhave theirlimitations.Personalnarrativesandthe use of a secondarydatasetcannotbe entirely
generalizable,due tothe small numberof individualsinvolvedandtheirinabilitytorepresentanentire
population.Thoughpersonalnarrativesprovideanin-depth,personalizedview of whitenessandthe
discomfortof beingconfrontedwithillegitimate advantagesgainedbecause of so,itshouldbe brought
to the forefrontthatthe womeninvolvedinthisstudymaynotholdthe same viewpointsnordeploythe
same methodsof negotiationwiththeirprivilege aswouldotherwhiteindividualsinsociety.

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Branscombe,Shmitt,andSchiffhauer’s(2007) researchextendsthe mechanismsemployedto
defendracial attitudesinconnectiontoWhite privilege.Branscombeetal.(2007) aimedto discover
responsesWhite Americanshave whenconfrontedwiththe illegitimate advantagestheypossesdue to
theirracial identity,orWhite privilege.
Two experimentswere employedtomeasure the perceptionswhite Americanshave of white
privilegeanditsconsequencesinvolvedwith modernracism. Experimentone consistedof white
undergraduates(93Females,96Males) who were randomlyassignedtoone of three conditionaltests
designedtomanipulateperceptionsof the ingroupsadvantages.Inthe privilege ordisadvantagegroup,
respondentswere askedtolistthe waystheywere privilegedordisadvantaged.The control conditions
were simplyaskedtowrite abouttheirlife experiences.Uponcompletionof the thought-listingtask,
respondentswere askedtothenfill outaModern RacismScale,whichaskedwhetherornotthe
disadvantagesBlacksface were justifiable (Branscombeetal.2007).
Experimenttwoconsistedof White undergraduates(156Femalesand123 Males) whowere
askedto complete the same thoughtlistingtaskabove,butinsteadwere askedtocomplete measuresof
political orientation,White racial identification,andaModernRacismScale. Independentcoders
assignedeachthoughtlistedintoa“thoughtcategory”createdbythe codersthencodedresultsfrom
bothstudies.The racism,political orientationandidentificationscaleswere assignedLikertScale value
numberstoassessthe degree of racismand racial identity.The resultswerethenregressedandcross
tabulatedtodetermine the effectof identityonthoughtsof racism(Branscombe etal.2007).
In experimentone,itwasfoundthatwhenrespondentswereconfrontedwiththe advantagesof
a White racial identitydisplayedgreaterlevelsof modernracism thanthose whowere toldtofocuson
the disadvantages.Experimenttwofoundthatracismwasonlyincreasedforthose whostrongly
identifiedwiththeirracial category(Branscombe etal.2007).

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Social learningtheorywasimplicitinthisstudy,aswell asthe analysisof the datacollectedfrom
respondents. Sociallearningtheoryassumesthatwe model ourbehavioroff of anotherinsociety,
whetheritisa mentor,an institution,orthe combinationof both.Applyingsocial learningtheorytothe
contextof thisstudy,whiteshave learnedthattheirstatusinsocietyandthe advantagestheygainfrom
it are normalizedandare rarelyconfronted. The critique of thisstudyliesinthe theoretical framework,
inthat theory was notimplicit.The resultsof Branscombe etal.(2007) researchwouldhave beenbetter
disseminatedusingFeministorCritical Race Theory,due tothe fact that each theoryoffersamulti-
facetedhistorical explanationastowhyeachrespondentdisplayedgreaterlevelsof racism.
Feministtheoryplacesahighvalue onthe intersectionality,orthe multitudeof variablessuchas
socializationandidentity,thatshape ourview of the worldandthus our interactionwithit.The use of
intersectionalitywouldhave allowedforthe variablesBranscombe etal.(2007) usedintheirsurveyto
be betterelaboratedandappliedtothe constructionof awhite identity.Critical Race Theoryonthe
otherhand usesa historical comparative analysisthatassumesracismisbuiltintothe institutions of our
society,suchas the institutionsthatinfluencedthe respondents,due tothe UnitedState’shistoryof
racial discriminationandhowthe UnitedStatesdirectlybenefittedfromracial discrimination,which
discouragesthe abolishmentof racismdue tothe advantagesthatare harboredto the powerelite that
facilitate the decisionmakingprocessinthe UnitedStates.
The facilitatorsof white privilege andtheirperpetuationshave beendiscussed,butwhatare the
consequencesof the colorblindprivilegewhiteprivilege elicitsfromthe white community?Hankinsetal.
(2012) researchdiscussesWhite privilegeinpractice andthe outcomesof such.
Hankinsetal. (2012) examinedthe eventsthatoccurredwithinthe vibrantnightclubscene of
Buckhead,Atlanta.BuckheadwasanoverwhelminglyaffluentWhite neighborhoodthathousedamajor
hubof nightlifeinAtlantathatwasverypopularwiththe Blackcommunity.Inthe early2000s, the area

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was demonizedanddeligitamitizedbythe White community,whowouldhave ratherseenashopping
centerinplace of sucha nuisance.
Two conceptswere presentinthe currentstudy:White privilegeandRacialization.White
privilegewasdefinedbyHankinsetal.(2012) as a hegemonicformationwhereinthe accrual of social
powersisgiventowhite individuals,whilesimultaneouslydelegitimizingrace asa meaningful self-
identifyingcategory. RacializationwasdefinedbyHankinsetal.(2012) as a consequence of white
privilege,creatinganignoredcategory of race that hasall of itspowerstrippedfromandgiven towhite
privilegethroughahegemonicexchange of power.
Thisstudyaimedto use these twoconceptscoupledwithsocial learningtheorytoexplainthe
destructionof Buckhead’snightclubscene,whichwasflourishing,inexchangeforanelite level shopping
center,whichHankinsetal.(2012) describedasan “extensionof RodeoDrive.” The authorsof thisstudy
useda blendof qualitativeinterviewing,meta-analysis,andethnographicresearchtocollectdata.In
2008, usinga semi-structuredinterview process,the authorsinterviewedresidents,civicandbusiness
leaders,aformernightcluboperator,andcityandstate governmentofficialsof Buckhead.The
researchersalsohappenedtolive inBuckhead, Atlantaforquite some time,whichfacilitated formalized
current-eventknowledgewithin thisstudy.Finally,the researchersscanned newspaper,magazine,and
editorial articlesthatdatedfrom2000 to 2010. The researchersalso searched advertisementsand
readercommentsfrom2000 to 2010 to getan ideaof how the publicengagedinracial discourses.All
data was analyzedandcodedforfurtheranalysis.Informationpertainingtothe collectionof
respondentsandthe sample size isunknownatthistime (Hankinsetal. 2012).
Hankinsetal. (2012) concludedintheirstudythat,justas race isa social construction,sotoo is
White privilege.Theirfluiddefinitionsanditseffectonthe political economyhasaprominenteffecton
special practices,suchasthe reconstructionof Buckheadforthe White community’sgains.White

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privilegewaspresentinBuckheadthroughthe presence of CEOs,wealthydonors,propertyownership,
and the presence of JimCrowlawswhichallowedforapropertytobe definedas“White”or“Colored”
(Hankinsetal.2012).
The evolutionof Buckheadincludedthe influxandthe consequencesof white privilege,butalso
a flourishing,profitable nightclubscene thatbroughtinnonwhite patrons,andalsoarash of violent
incidences.Whiteprivilege was thenemployedtoracialize the areaandsubsequentlydemonize the
area,in attemptto claimownershipof the areaandbuilda high-classshoppingdistrict,whichwas
successful (Hankinsetal.2012).
Ford andCollins(2010) attemptedtoprovide aremedy, orrathera combatant,to the
oppressionanddiscriminationthatisinherenttoWhite privilege,whichwasthe case inBuckhead.Ford
and Collinsappliedthe use of Critical Race Theorytoa previousstudyconductedtoexamineracismin
HIV testinganddiagnosis.
InherenttoCritical Race Theoryisordinariness,orthe beliefthatracismisintegral toour
society;race consciousness,oracknowledgementthatrace is an influentialfactorineverydaylife;
“centeringthe margins,”orfocusingonthe perspectivesof amarginalizedgroup;andpraxis,ora
processwherein the knowledge gainedfromempirical research,theoryandpersonal knowledge all
informone another(FordandCollins2010). In otherwords,Critical Race Theoryisan interactive
methodologythathelpspractitionersbe aware of the racismmarginalizedgroupsface.Thisawareness
thushelpscombatracism throughconsciousnessof equality.Also,activismandresearchgohandin
handwiththistheory,as Critical Race Theoryencouragesinstitutionstotransformhierarchiesthatwere
foundthroughresearch(FordandCollins2010).
To facilitate ameta-theoretical-analysis, the currentstudyusedasecondarydataset froma
previousstudyonHIV testingina neighborhoodwithhighprevalenceof HIV thatsoughtto examine

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whetherfactorsof racismpresentedthe BlackcommunityfromreadilyobtainingHIV testingfromthe
CDC. 400 Black Americanswere enrolledinSTDtestingata local publicheathclinic.Tocontrol forthe
perceivedamountof racism,participantswereaskedaboutthe amountof racismtheyperceivedwhile
inthe clinical settingandthose perceptionswere thencross-tabulatedwiththe amountof segregation
inthe respondent’sneighborhoods.The authorsof the currentstudyappliedCritical Race Theory tothe
data by manipulatingthe variablescontrolledbydefiningrace notas a populationcharacteristic,but
rather as a sociallyconstructedcategory.Furthermore,the authorsencouragedandbroughttothe
forefrontthe racial conceptsof the study,such as perceivedracism, the goalsof ahealthcare institution
whichhas a longhistoryof racial bias,and whowas administeringthe study(nonAfrican-Americans).In
doingso,the authors usedthe currentstudyand Critical Race Theory’sphilosophical underpinningsto
encourage healthcare practitionerstobe aware of and strive forequityintheirpractice,diagnosis,and
treatment.
Ford andCollins(2010) dida verythoroughjobin theirmeta-analysisof apreviousstudyinthat
theyprovidedarealisticremedytothe racismfoundinthe datasetof a previousstudydone onracismin
medical practice.Critical Race Theorywasappropriatelyusedtoprovidemitigationinareal-world
example of racism.Critical Race Theorycanand shouldalsobe usedto mitigate the manifestation,
perpetuation,andeffectsof White privilege thatwere discussedinthe introductionandreview of the
literature of thispaper.
The articlesdiscussedinthisreviewof the literature provideabackdropas to how White
privilegepresentsamultitude of barriersthatpreventthe White communityfromfullyunderstanding
and engaginginrace relationsinanequitable manor.
DefensivetechniquesemployedbyWhite Americansdepictadefense of racial identityand
provide aglimpse intoracial dynamicsandtheirfluidityof importance (FordandAirihenbuwa2010;

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Brown2009; Espositoand Finley2009). Whenprivilegesare earned,butnotconfronted,race isa
meaninglesscategorydue tothe side effectof colorblindhumanism. Conversely,Branscombe etal.
(2007) provedthatrace doesindeedbecome ameaningful categorywhenthe White communityistold
of the illegitimate advantagestheyharbordue totheirskincolor(vanWormerand Falkner2012).
The researchshedslightonthe barriersthat are presentedbyWhite privilege thatpreventthe
White communityfromfullyunderstandingthe hegemonicexchangeof White privilege andits
consequences(Hankinsetal.2012; Fordand Collins2010). These researchpaperscouldhave andshould
be analyzedwithacritical feministlenstoreveal the true depthsof the powerdynamicsthatare
intrinsictoWhite privilege andtheirhistorical underpinnings.
Many of these articlesalsoface alimitation,inthattheyonlyexamine race relationsbetween
the White and Blackcommunities.Thesearticles,specificallyFordandCollins(2010) and Branscombe et
al.(2007) wouldhave beenbettersuitedusingasecondarydatasetthatmarginalizedpopulationsin
general,asto geta generalizablescope of hegemonicexchange betweenraces.Furthermore,Critical
Race Theorywouldhave beenbetteremployedin Hankinsetal.(2012) to describe andofferasolution
to furthergentrificationof Blackneighborhoodsforbusinessinterests.
Methodology
The current researchfollowedameta-analysisformat,whereinresearchstudieswereaccessed
and retrievedfromonline databases.ProQuestandSociological Abstractsdatabaseswereheavily
utilizedinthe searchforsecondarydatasetstobe exploredandanalyzed. Tenacademic,peer-reviewed
journal articleswere specificallysoughtoutfortheircredibilityandgeneralizability.Anyandall articles
utilizedwithinthisresearchwere tobe publishedafter2005.
Keywordsusedtoaccrue articleswere “white privilege,”“race relations,”and“hegemony.”
Abstractswere thenscannedtodetermine if theyrelatedtothe guidingquestionof the research: what

16. 16
keepsthe white communityinthe UnitedStatesfromunderstanding,engagingin,andadvocatingfairly
whenitcomes to racial conflict?Those relatingto,orfallingwithin,the parametersof the research
questionwere thendeemedacceptablebythe researcherandwere utilizedwithinthe research.
Acceptedarticleswere readandsummarizedwithinanannotatedbibliographytodetermine
commonthemesbetweenstudiesandthe use of theorywithineachstudy.Uponanalysisof the
secondarydatasetacquiredfromthe bodyof literature,conceptswere synthesized,grouped,and
definedtodetermine theirapplicabilitytothe currentstudyand the layoutof said study.The resultsof
saidanalysiswill nowbe discussed.
Conceptualization
It isclear that white racial identitypreventsthe whitecommunityinthe UnitedStatesfrom
accuratelyengaginginracial discourse,anditshouldalsobe clearthat there are real consequencesthat
target a specificracial category (Hankinsetal.2012; Brown 2014; Grossmanand Charmaraman2009).
The term Racial Hegemonywouldaccuratelydescribe the powerdynamicsthatgointothe formationof
race. The theoryof Cultural HegemonydevelopedbyMarxisttheorist AntonioGramsci describes,that
througha processof coercionandforce, how a multicultural societyisable to be takencontrol of bya
dominantculture thatimposestheircultural normsasa standardacross a society,while simultaneously
devaluingthe normsof othercultureswithinasociety(Durst,2005). The constructionof race withina
societyandthe value of such followsasimilarprocess.Aswasdiscussedinthe review of the literature,it
istaught to the publicat an earlyage throughprimaryand secondarysocializationthatcertainracesare
more importantthanothers(Grossmanand Charmaraman 2009; EspositoandFinley2009). Thisis a
processof hegemony,oran exchange of informationshapedbythe powerelite inasociety,thatvalues
one race and simultaneously devaluesall others.
The concept of racial hegemonywouldreadilyexplainhow commentatorsparticipatinginthe
online discussionsectionof periodicalswouldassume the blackcommunity“deserves”tobe persecuted

17. 17
by the raciallybiasedcriminal justice system. Withinthe discussionboardposts,the blackcommunity
was purposelydehumanizedanddevaluedwithlanguagethatutilizedcodedracism(Thorsenand
Giegerich2014).
Social learningtheorycanbe usedto explainhow thisispossible.Throughoutourprimary
socialization,we are taughtthat the heroesof ourcountry are majorityCaucasianandrarelyare
confrontedwithatextbookthatfocusesonhow the blackcommunityor otherdiverse populations
directlycontributedtothe successof society.Thus,the use of social learningtheorywouldexplainhow
whitenessisthe “default”race insociety,andall othersare builtuponthisdefaultcategory,thus
devaluingthe blackcommunityandjustifyingthe actionsof OfficerDarrenWilsonandthe Ferguson
Police Departmentasawhole inthe wake of the BlackLivesMatter Protests (FordandAirihenbuwa
2010; Brown2009; Espositoand Finley2009; Grossmanand Charmaraman2009).
W.E.B. DuBoisintroducedandcoinedtwoconceptsinhiswork The Soulsof Black Folk (1903).
First,Double Consciousnessreferstothe dual processesof thoughtthata sociallyaware blackindividual
mustuse to successfullyinteractinsociety.There are twodefiningmomentsinablackindividual’slife
that will shape thisdual consciousness- the momenttheyrealizetheiridentityasa blackindividualin
society,andthe momenttheyrealize thisisgoingtobecome aproblemthatwill plague themforthe
restof theirlives(DuBois1903). Thus,comesthe dual consciousnessof notonlybeingacitizenin
America,butalsoa black citizen. Second,the BlackVeilwasintroducedtodescribehow the black
communityisunable toaccuratelyviewandsubsequentlydefinetheirself outside of the negative
expectationsthatare convolutedintotheirpersonby aEurocentricAmerica(DuBois1903).
Similar,butfarfrom equal,isthe white community’sinabilitytosee Americaasit trulyis:a
diverse nationfilledwithdifferingnationalities,ethnicities,races,andcultural practices.Because of so,
the term White Veil isborrowedfromDuBois BlackVeil inanattempttoexplainthe inabilityof the

18. 18
white communitytovieweventsinvolvingracial discourseinanaccurate manner. The white individual
followsapathsimilartothe blackindividual whendiscoveringtheirworth.First,the white individual
learnstheyare white andsimultaneouslylearnsthatthisracial definitionsupersedesanymeaningful
definingcategorytheywill use toidentifythemselveswith(GrossmanandCharmaraman2009;
Branscombe etal. 2007). Second,the white individual learnsthisisanythingbutaproblem, astheywill
enjoya plethoraof unearnedbenefitsbecauseof theirracial category(McIntosh1989; Hankinsetal.
2012; Ford andCollins2010; Branscombe etal.2007). Because of the privilegeawhite individual is
granted,the white communityhasawhole isinpossessionof aVeil themselvesthatdisallowsthem
fromaccuratelyengaginginracial discourse.Inthe case of the eventssurroundingMichael Brown,the
white communityin the UnitedStateswasunable totrulyexaminethe scope of ramificationsthe black
communityfacesona dailybasisdue to theirskincolor,andtheirsubsequentpersecutionbythe
criminal justice systembecause of so(ThorsenandGiegerich2014).
Findings- ContributingFactors to the White Veil
The purpose of thispaper wasfueledbythe eventsinFerguson,Missouri thatsurroundedthe
murderof Michael BrownbyOfficerDarrenWilson.Intriguedbyhow anationcouldbe so easilydivided
ina seeminglyobviouscase of murder,andhow a majorityof white people spokentoaboutthis
incidentwouldratherwashtheirhandsof the situationthantoengage ina discussionaboutthe event,
these factorsshapedthe guidingquestionof the current research.Whatkeepsthe white communityin
the UnitedStatesfromunderstanding,engagingin,andadvocatingfairlywhenitcomestoracial
conflict?
Thoughthe researcharticlesutilizedwithinthe currentresearchdonotspecificallyaddress
police brutalitybetweenawhite male officerandamale blackyouth,it isclear thatthere are a number
of barriersthatpreventthe white communityin the UnitedStates fromwillinglyparticipatinginracial

19. 19
discourse inanaccurate, informedmanner(McIntosh1989; Hankinsetal. 2012; Ford andCollins2010;
Branscombe etal. 2007). These factorscome togethertocreate a cloudof sorts, or a White Veil,that
preventthe white communityfromclearlyanalyzingracial discourse.
The firstand most prevalentbarriercontributingtothe White VeilinAmericansocietyisthe
conceptof white privilege (GrossmanandCharmaraman2009; McIntosh 1989; Hankinsetal.2012). In
essence,whitenessgrantsawhite individualwitha“weightlessbackpackof special provisions”that
allowthe individual toenjoyanumberof privilegesthroughouttheirlifetime-advantagesthatare
unearnedandbestoweduponanindividualdue totheirskincolor(McIntosh1989). These advantages
clouda white individual’sviewof racial discourse,becausetheyare notdeprivedof taken-for-granted
advantagesdue totheirrace (Branscombe etal.2007; McIntosh 1989; Hankinsetal.2012). In the case
of the eventssurroundingMichael Brown,whiteAmericasimplycouldnotsee how race playedintothe
event,since itwasone humanshootinganother,anditwasjustifiedbecausehe committedacrime
priorto beingmurdered. Thisleadstothe secondbarrierfoundinthe research.
Colorblindnessisatheme thatwas prevalentinmanyof the secondarydatasetsutilized
(Branscombe etal.2007; Hankinsetal. 2012; Fordand Airihenbuwa2010; Brown 2009; Espositoand
Finley2009). Colorblindnessisthe ideathatwe are all human,so any definingcategoriesbeyondbeinga
humansimplydonot matter(GrossmanandCharmaraman 2009). By believingthisnotion,one
underminesthe salientcategoriesof race,culture,andethnicitythatare prevalentonadailybasisfora
nonwhite individual,because eachof these factorsshapesthe individual’slivedexperiencesandhow
theyare viewedinaparticularsociety.If one were toview the incidentinFerguson,Missouri witha
colorblindlens,theywouldmissandsubsequentlyunderminethe wholepointof the protestsandthe
uproar followingMichael Brown’sdeath- he waspersecutedandsubsequentlykilleddue tothe “threat”
posedbyhimbeinga blackman. Beingpersecutedortreateddifferentlybyapolice officerdue toskin
coloris somethingawhite manor womanwouldlikelyneverhave toexperienceforamajorityof their

20. 20
life,thusdisconnecting themfromtrulyunderstandingwhatitfeelslike tobe anonwhite individual ina
EurocentricUnitedStates(McIntosh1989).
The final contributingfactortothe White Veil isthe conceptof Racial Hegemonyposed earlierin
thispaper.Throughoutlife,especiallyduringprimarysocialization,we learnthatwhitenessisthe
“default”racial categoryof sorts,and all otherraces are builtuponwhiteness(Grossmanand
Charmaraman2009). By learningthis,ahegemonicpowerexchangeisemployedthatplacesthe
importance of white asa racial identityabove all others,thusunderminingall otherracesintermsof
importance andtheircontributiontosociety.Thisiswhythe phrase BlackLivesMatterarose.Black Lives
Matter bringsRacial Hegemonytothe forefrontof racial discourse andstatesthat,despite whatwidely
heldideologiesare prevalentinagivensociety,blacklivesare justasimportantas white ones,orany
otherfor that matter.Thus,whena white man,regardlessof affiliation,murdersablack man,it should
be heldwiththe same importance asif the opposite wastrue.
Conclusion
Upon concludingthisresearch,itisclearthat there are a multitude of factorscontributingtothe
White Veil thatpreventsthe whitecommunityinthe UnitedStates fromaccuratelyparticipatinginracial
discourse (GrossmanandCharmaraman2009; McIntosh1989; Hankinset al.2012; Branscombe etal.
2007; Ford andAirihenbuwa2010; Brown2009; EspositoandFinley2009). More importantly,these
racial discoursesare not to goaway any time soon,andratherare goingto become more andmore
prevalentinthe comingmonths.
As racial discourse isbecomingmore prevalentinmediaoutletsthroughoutthe country,itisof
the utmostimportance thatthe white communityinthe UnitedStatesbecomeaware of theirWhite Veil
and the contributingfactors:white privilege,colorblindness,andracial hegemony.AsBranscombe etal.
(2007) found,if a white individual isconfrontedwiththeirprivilege,butfeel theycandonothingwithit,

21. 21
racismwill likelyincrease,andincidencesof policemurderamongethnicpopulationswillcontinuetobe
justified.Thisiswhythe white communitymustbecome aware of the privilege they possess,but
simultaneouslyrealize thattheyhave efficacy toaidthe fightfor racial equality,whichcouldhave
massive contributionstothe racial equalitymovement(Branscombeetal.2007).
The limitationsinthisstudyare presentedbythe lackof generalizable researchwithinthe
secondarydataset.Apartfromthe data usedBranscombe etal. (2007) andFord and Collins’(2010)
research,sample sizeswerefartosmall intheirpopulationtoprovide meaningful datathatcan be used
to generalizeovertime andspace withinthe UnitedStates.Amongthese limitationswithinthe
populationishowsocioeconomicstatuswasmeasuredandhow itsubsequentlyinfluenced
respondents’contributionstothe data.Researchersconsideringdoingfurtherresearchinthisfield
shouldlooktoBranscombe etal. (2007) methodof collectinginformationonsocioeconomicstatusby
askingforapproximate annual income andweighingthe response againstmedianincomewithinagiven
capita.It is suggestedthatfuture studies alsoutilize alongitudinalapproachtomeasure white privilege,
colorblindness,andthoughtsof racial hegemonyovertime tosee if the White Veilincreasesin
prevalence overtime,orconverselydecreasesovertime.The contributingfactorsthatsupplementor
mitigate the effectsof the White Veil thenshouldbe examinedtodetermine whatfactorsmustbe
addressedinthe future toallowwhite individualstoaccuratelyparticipate inracial discourse,rather
than inaccuratelyparticipatingandcausingfurthersocial ill due totheirinabilitytosee the longranging
effectsof the privilege theyposses(Hankinsetal.2012; Ford and Collins2010).
While Iwas completingthe finalstagesof thisresearchandsubsequentlythe write up,Freddie
Gray was killedbythe handsof the Baltimore Police Departmenton April 19th
, 2015. Baltimore police
arrestedGray on April 12th
duringa routine dispatchcall,andduringthe arrest,broke hisneck.The
sevenofficersinvolveddraggedGrayto a transportvan, all the while ignoringhisinjuries,whichleadto
fatal spinal cordinjurieswhichGraylaterdiedfrom(Baltimore Sun,2015).

22. 22
It isclear that institutionalizedracismwillcontinueto affectthe blackcommunityatdespairingly
large ratesas comparedtootherracial and ethnicpopulationsinthe UnitedStates.Because of so,Icall
for the use of critical race theoryinfuture research,whichnotonlyusesa historical comparative
analysistobringhistorical contributionsof racismof moderndaysocietytothe forefront,butalso
suggestswaysthisinstitutionalizedracism be combatted(FordandCollins2010). White Americacanno
longersiton the sidelinesof racial conflictandallow ittobe foughtoutby the victimizedrace.Ithas
become all butimpossible towalkbya newsstand,television,orradiowithouthearingorseeingbitsof
informationpertainingtothe growingnumberof BlackLivesMatter protests.The white communitycan
no longerremainpurposefullyignoranttothe strugglesnonwhitesface inthissociety.The white
communitymustalsorealize thattheyholdtremendouspowerinthissituation.BeingaEurocentric
nationwhichislargelydominatedbywhitebusinessmenandpoliticians,thissocietal structure inthe
UnitedStateswasconstructedby andfor the white community.Because of so,white womenandmen
such as myself have the voice tomake change due tothe privilegeswe are granted,the lifechancesthat
are all buthandedto us incomparison,andthe fact that white people willalmostalwayshave their
voice heardoverthat of a nonwhite individual (FordandCollins2010). It istime forwhite Americato
educate itself tothe social illstheyunknowinglyrecreate bydeployingtheirinvisible mechanismof
privilege(Hankinsetal.2012; McIntosh 1989). While learningof privilege,white Americamustalso
learnthat there Isa tremendousamountof goodthat can be done withtheirprivilege.If whiteAmerica
standswiththeirblackbrothersandsisters,Isee the chance forreal change- real change that will be
able to eliminate the Blackandthe White Veil alikethatwill allowforethnicpopulationstolive ina
societywhere theyare notpersecuted,norlivinginanillusionof acolorblind,post-racialsociety.

23. 23
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