Black Lives Matter has been a continuous movement – a movement of many realizations weaved in together and the recognition that we are living in a country where systemic racism is exists, white supremacy exists, and that privilege exists.
I equally have taken these past few weeks to reflect on how I fit into this movement and have educated myself so that I, too, can become a better ally and drive positive impact. From listening to podcasts, reading articles and books, and having raw conversations with my friends and family. One thing that I also did was check my privilege.
I checked my privilege.
Immediately, when we think about privilege, we might think about certain privileges that are granted to us due to the color of our skin but there is so much more.
So why is it important to recognize your privilege?
Let’s start with defining it. Privilege, or social privilege, is a special, unearned advantage or entitlement, used to one’s own benefit or to the detriment of others. And a majority of the time, we don’t know that we have a privilege because it’s unearned, it’s been a “normal” part of life.
It’s important to recognize your privilege because the needs of the privileged are often the only ones being considered and prioritized when discussing solutions, leaving others behind. Recognizing privilege helps you recognize disparities in work, at school, in your every day – it will help you become more aware, empathetic, and understanding to those who might not have the same privileges. And even better, you can acknowledge it, call it out, make an impact or a difference.
Let’s get specific.
I took a privilege test I found on Google, I liked it because of how extensive it was – except now I can’t find it. There’s a similar one on ASU’s “How Privileged Am I” site and there are many checklists ranging from Able-bodied, Cisgender, Upper-Middle Class, Thin, and more. There’s even a pandemic privilege test which made me see privilege from an even wider lens, too. So many!
I checked off all the statements that applied to me and to list a few…
+ I can use public bathrooms
+ If I apply for a job, I don’t have to worry about writing my social security number
+ I can go to the store without being followed or being looked at suspiciously
+ I can engage in a form of relationship and not fear attack
+ My race doesn’t make people uncomfortable (well .. pre-COVID)
+ People know what to refer to me without asking
+ Access to healthcare and afford a visit to the doctor
+ I can choose makeup and bandages and have them match my skin tone
+ I will receive public recognition for an engagement
+ If a police officer stops me, I can be sure it’s not because of my race
+ I can assume that I can go shopping alone, and they will always have appropriate accommodations to make this experience hassle-free.
What this privilege test made me understand is that privilege comes from many different angles. There’s Class Privilege, Ethnicity/Culture Privilege, Linguistic Privilege, Citizenship Privilege, Cisgender Privilege, Sexuality Privilege, Ability Privilege, and more. In addition to that, we can’t discuss privilege without understanding intersectionality – it’s the interconnected nature of social categorizations like race, class, age, gender, sexual orientation. How these social categorizations may overlap plays a HUGE part in where that privilege exists.
When we can truly check our privilege, it’s one step closer to undermining the system of oppression and privilege that hurts us.
PS: the photo is not mine and would love to give credit to the owner.
