In this presentation you will learn what white privilege is, how it affects politics and the economics, explore if it is specifically an American problem, and ways to combat it. Template from: Slidesgo

1. White
Privilege Abbie, Adam, Austin, & Megan

2. Table Of
Contents
Section I. What is white privilege?
Section II. How does white privilege affect
American politics and economy?
Section III. Is it specifically an American
Problem?
Section IV. Is it a major problem? How
should we combat it?
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3. I. What is White Privilege?
Austin
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4. What is
White
Privilege?
White privilege is the level of societal advantage that
makes it seem normal in America, automatically
conferred irrespective of wealth, gender and other
factors. It is something you would hardly ever notice
unless it were taken away, or unless it had never
applied to you at all.
The big thing about white privilege is that it is, most of the time,
unintentional, unconscious, and uncomfortable to recognize. It
is also easy to regret. The concept of white privilege has been
percolating in schooling circles since 1988 when a professor
used a paper to describe white privilege and its assets that are
not earned. On top of all of that, it has been approaching the
use among young kids on the political side. Washington Post
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5. What is
White
Privilege?
A lot of Americans will say that white privilege is not real,
despite the evidence that has been given on the contrary.
An example of this may be that job applicants that have
“white” names have more of a chance at getting called for
an interview.
So the question is, why is all of this important now? The
simple answer to that is the fact that people are finally
starting to talk about it and what it means to them. Now,
minorities were being more vocal about how their
experiences in America are different than their white
counterparts. Sadly, this news might enter into the
mainstream. On the other hand, many commentators jump
into action and tell everyone that not all white people
privileged, which is false. White privilege is real.
Washington Post
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Personal Thoughts:
I think it is quite obvious that not all white
people are wealthy, and yes there are some
minorities that have achieved the goal of being
wealthy. But privilege is something that is
different and specific. It is just the idea of the
fact white people of any kind are a part of a
group that tends to be respected. However, this
is not the case for other races, no matter how
wealthy, smart, or hard working they are.

6. White Privilege
The individual unearned
entitlements and advantages
white people enjoy that
minorities do not have.
Racial Equity Tools
White
Privilege
Vs.
White
Supremacy White Supremacy
Think of it as a system that
can’t work without white
privilege, and vise versa. The
term used to be used to
describe elitist groups such
as the Klu Klux Klan and the
Neo-nazis. Now it is used to
describe political and
socio-economic systems.
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One misconception of white privilege is that it is
the same thing as white supremacy. So what are
they and what is the difference?

7. Understanding
White
Privilege
The first step to combat white privilege, which we will talk
more about later in the project, is to understand what it
means and how it applies to white people. White privilege
was first written about by a Wellesley College women’s
studies scholar Peggy McIntosh. In her writing, she listed
46 examples of white privilege which you can find here:
"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" and
"Some Notes for Facilitators"
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McIntosh asked herself:
"..on an everyday basis, what do I have that I
didn’t earn?"

8. Understanding
White
Privilege
The second step is recognizing your own privilege. Here
are some examples that us as teens may experience:
□ When I am told about our national heritage or about
“civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what
it is.
□ I can swear, or dress in second-hand clothes, or not answer
letters, without having people attribute these choices to the
bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race.
□ I can criticise our government and talk about how much I fear
its policies and behaviour without being seen as a cultural
outsider.
□ I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in
charge,” I will be facing a person of my race.
□ I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and
have them more less match my skin.
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9. Understanding
White
Privilege
McIntosh also gives the example of men’s privilege: she
notices over the years that men will say they will work to
improve women’s status in society, university or
curriculum but they can't or won't support the idea of
lessening mens.
This is just like how white people advocate for people of
color, but won’t give up some of their privilege, which is
really the game changer.
Understanding privilege is not an academic
exercise. It is something that must be internal and
external in order to combat a white supremic
system.
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Click here to learn more
about the fundamentals
and concepts of white
privilege and white
supremacy.
Additional Information

10. II. How does White Privilege
Affect American Politics and
Economy?
Adam
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11. Economy
Most people are unaware about the inner working of economics
unless, of course, it begins to impact their jobs, income and wealth.
This is also the case for people not caring about racial
equity in the criminal justice system, police bias against
minorities, and even police brutality on black lives.
Many people ask “why?” It's because these people think that it
doesn’t affect them. Same holds for the racial wealth gap. The white
logic typically goes “I work hard for my money why can’t they?”
But what these people don’t understand is that it is difficult for
people of different races/ethnicities to get a job because of the color
of their skin.
When a person of different race/ethnicity or even same
race/ethnicity gets denied work because of the color of their skin, it
is called employment descrimination. Shifting racial dynamics in
the U.S. have heightened the salience of white racial identity, and a
sense that whites social status must be lessened in order to heal our
economy. Rice | Kinder
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12. Politics At the same time, the growing size of non-White
populations has also renewed attention to skin color-based
and the potential blurring of racial boundaries.
Former President Trump believes that America has less
racism than other countries. Just a few weeks ago, an angry
mob of Trump supporters stormed the capitol after
Trump’s inciteful speech just hours before. “We will not let
them silence your voices. We’re not going to let it happen, I’m
not going to let it happen.” The audience then chanted “Fight
for Trump!”... as they did. We learned today that they were
planning to kill Former Vice President Mike Pence and
possibly Nancy Pelosi.
In contrast, this was the same city the Black Lives Matter
Movement took place. Many were severely injured, and
even kidnapped. The protest was peaceful. US News
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13. III. Is it Specifically an
American Problem?
Abbie
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14. Is It an
American
Problem?
White privilege occurs pretty much everywhere. All over
the globe people of color are treated differently than white
people.
In America it might seem like we hear about white privilege
more than you might in other countries. This is partly true,
but this is because we are now starting to recognize that
this is a problem and we are finally trying to combat it.
On the news, especially in the past year we have heard
about police brutality and income differences. There have
been many protests in the past year that are fighting for
equality, and they have definitely lit a fire for many people.
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15. Is It an
American
Problem? To me, the answer to this question could either be yes or
no. Hear me out, if you were to ask me “Is white privilege
strictly an American problem?” I 100% would say no. This
is because white privilege occurs pretty much all over the
globe. Now, if you were to ask me “Is there white privilege
in America?” I would 100% say yes. This is a very obvious
and frequent occurrence in America.
The way that places all over the world may be combating
white supremacy or racism is definitely another
conversation though.
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Personal Opinion:

16. Most
Racially and
Ethnically
Diverse
States
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#1 Hawaii
#2 California
#3 Nevada
#4 Texas
#5 Maryland

17. Least
Racially and
Ethnically
Diverse
States
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#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#45 Montana
#46 New Hampshire
#48 West Virginia
#49 Vermont
#50 Maine

18. IV. Is it a Major Problem?
How Should We Combat it?
Megan
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19. Is it a Major
Problem?
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Abbie touched on this a little bit when we talked about
racism in America, and we rounded back to the fact
that white privilege is a global issue, meaning America
included.
Do YOU think it is a major problem? How about
in our community. We live in a mostly-white
community, so in what ways does it differ from those
with more diversity?
These kinds of questions can be hard, or even
uncomfortable for people to think about, but it is
necessary to know these kinds of things in order to act
upon it in positive ways!

20. How do we
Combat it?
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In this section, I have provided a 5 step action plan in
order to understand and COMBAT white privilege.
I said this before, and I’ll say it again:
Understanding privilege is not an academic
exercise. It is something that must be
internal and external in order to combat a
white supremic system.

21. How do we
Combat it?
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Before we gear up for combat, though, we must
1. Understand what privilege is and how it applies
to white people
2. Recognize our own privilege (white or not)
I mentioned these earlier in the presentation in order
for you to think about what you’ve learned so far. In
what ways have you related or wondered about the
information so far? Were there times where you
disagreed with the content? We would like to
acknowledge that that is totally okay and encouraged.
Discussion is the best way to learn more about the
topic and ourselves.

22. Step 1:
Fundamentals
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The fundamentals! We have already introduced white
privilege to you, but there is a lot more to it.
The fundamentals include the core concepts, the
history of racism and movements, data, and further
resources.
Just like with any subject, you start at the beginning.
In essence, history teaches us to move
forward, recognize our mistakes and learn
from them, and ultimately create a better
existence for all.

23. Step 2:
Plan
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The second step is to plan. In order to plan, we need
to find an issue. What issues connected to white
privilege are there right now?
After finding our issue, we go through the change
process. This is when individuals, groups, and
communities advance racial equity work and build
movements. Keep in mind accountability
towards those most impacted by white
privilege.
Next is to inform, and activate your plan. By doing
your research, finding places to implement your work,
and putting it into action, you can combat white
privilege in your own unique way.

24. Step 3:
Act
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Now it is time to ACT!
Think of strategies to teach more people about
white privilege. Like this presentation is doing right
now!
Communicate with your family, friends, and
community! Discussion is the best way to get people
engaged and start thinking about their own privilege.
You can use social media to communicate with large
groups of people as well!
Another way to act is to sustain your effort. If you
have a goal, strive for it. Innovating and
experimenting with different ways will help you keep
people engaged.

25. Step 4:
Evaluate
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The 4th step is to evaluate. This means thinking about
the positive and negative effects it has on yourself or
others. White privilege, as mentioned many times
before, is uncomfortable and difficult to understand or
talk about.
Another kind of evaluation if evaluating yourself.
What do unearned privileges do you have everyday
that requires no thought? Have you noticed other
people use their privilege for good? In what ways
can you use it for good?
In terms of an action plan, what kinds of responses
have you gotten? Have you made any change? What
did you learn from your observations?

26. Step 5:
Connect
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Have those conversations with your friends and
family. Reach out to powerful people and demand
change. Participate in discussion. More than often you
are not alone in your thoughts, and even more than
often we’re thinking very similar things.
Like we mentioned before, communicating with the
outside world can give you different perspectives and
views on topics like this.

27. Step 6:
Curricula
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Last, but not least, participate in the curricula. Right
now I (Megan) am taking a women’s studies class
through the University of Maine, and I have learned
so much so far. I encourage all of you to indulge
yourself in education and learning as much as you
can.
Reading books, watching movies, and watching the
news are all great ways to explore more about what
white privilege is as well.

28. Thank you
- Creators of this presentation
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