1. White Race Privilege
Shanaya Crotts
FYS100
Dr. Harold Blanco
2/22/16
While researching white privilege, I found that there were many different opinions and
thoughts towards this subject. Many articles talked about how it should not exist. While others
discussed their thoughts that being white is safer and actually does have many privileges. Each
resource I read had a different definition for what white privilege. When it came to white
privilege in college, there were not many articles speaking about the situation. But I did find
many recourses on white privilege and how it affects my life.
When I think of white privilege, the first question I ask myself is “Am I privileged as a
white human?” While I would say that yes, I am privileged in some ways, I also believe that I am
not privileged as well. As a college student, I spend hours upon hours looking for scholarships.
One thing that I have noticed is that there are a lot of scholarships for black/African-American
people. I can spend five hours looking for scholarships and only qualify for one but
black/African-American people can apply for many just because of their color. Also, in our
student center, there is a specified computer lab for black people to use. Where is my computer
lab with free printing as a white human? From where I am at in life right now, I do not believe
that I am very privileged as a white woman at all. I am being condemned and denied because I
am white. If that is not a form of racism then I do not know what is. I also understand that I am
somewhat privileged because I am white. I am not doubting the fact that I am. But since I am in
school, being white and privileged is not something that goes together in my mind.
2. While reading through many of the articles, I noticed that I was only looking at the part
of white privilege that I had a strong opinion about. I also only picked out the parts of “white
privilege” that offended me. Reading these articles made me realize that being white is much
more of a privilege than I thought. I learned that I do not have to deal with the thought of being
discriminated against every day of my life because of my color. I am lucky to be a white female
because I do not get looked at differently and I am not looked at as lower. There were also some
articles that talked about how white privilege is not a race issue but a class issue. I also agree
with this statement. I would not say that all white people are privileged especially with every
situation that they face. Each of the articles or sections of books that I read through taught me
something different about white privilege. It is a movement/idea and it does exist. While reading
through the book “Notes of a Racial Caste Baby: Color Blindness and the End of Affirmative
Action”, I realized that as much as I want to think that white privilege does not exist…it does.
This book mentions how we cannot just forget that racism towards black people never happened
and that we are all equal, because we are not. White privilege does exist.
In conclusion, my opinion on this topic has changed. After doing my research and
actually learning what white privilege is and what it means to other people, I realized that being
white is not such a bad thing after all. These resources provided me with adequate information
on white privilege. Each resource was peer reviewed and had been written by great authors who
knew what they were speaking about. They all opened my eyes to how white privilege affects me
and what it can actually mean to me. Although one article explained that this was not a race issue
but a social one, the article still agreed taught me that white privilege exists and it means
something. Over all, I believe that the recourses I found allowed me to learn that white privilege
3. means much more than being able to do certain things because you are white. It is symbol of
what this country has been through and what it is still going through.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Boatright-Horowitz, Su L., Marisa E. Marraccini, and Yvette Harps-Logan. "Teaching
Antiracism: College Students' Emotional and Cognitive Reactions to Learning about
White Privilege." Journal of Black Studies 43.8 (2012): 893-911. Web.
Kohnert, Kathryn. "One Insider's Reflections on White Privilege, Race and their
Professional Relevance."Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations 20.2 (2013): 41. Web.
Feagin, J. R. Notes of a Racial Caste Baby: Color Blindness and the End of Affirmative
Action. 34 Vol. Middletown: American Library Association dba CHOICE, 1997. Web.
