The Nexus of White Privilege
“I want my pride intact, I want this struggle of mine to be recognized, for you to look me in the eye and acknowledge that yes, this tumor called bigotry is indeed rivering through your veins, polluting your mind, and is so malignant that it compels you to squash my dignity.”
via Seema Jilani: My Racist Encounter at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
We often think bigotry is something overt and, perhaps, violent. Not always. It also rests in well-meaning views such as “color blindness” and assertions (protestations?) such as “I don’t see race.” These are the insidious and subtle hallmarks of racial privilege.
Of course, there are other sorts of privileges. Alas, those belong to stories for other times, days, and places.