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Advantages of having white skin

Introduction

White privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit people identified as white in

Western countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same

social, political, or economic circumstances (Wikipedia) and yes, it does exist. White privilege

effects the daily life of white people and people of color. It is my goal that with this project I will

be able to successfully highlight the effects white privilege has on education, and poverty.

I believe that white privilege is on a spectrum. It ranges from subliminal things that you

hardly notice, to being right up in your face. White privilege can be having your skin care and

beauty products in an aisle labeled beauty and me having mine in an aisle labeled ethnic; it is you

going to a hotel and being able to use the shampoo and conditioner provided and me having to go

to said Walmart to the ethnic section to get shampoo. White privilege is built into our structure of

our society. It emphasizes that there is a majority and minority, identifies a dominate culture, and

gives the position of power to white people. White privilege is not always wanted by the

dominate culture, noticed by those effected or deserved by the white culture or minorities. White

privilege isnt anyones fault, it is just the way of our society.

Education

White privilege is present in schools and specifically grades k-12. White privilege is

shown in many forms such as tracking, standardized testing, resources, teachers, and

demographics. These things result in students of color being at a disadvantage.

Tracking students is when the school places the students in certain classes based on their

perceived ability or skill level. . One of the disadvantages of tracking is that students of color are
often thought to be underachieving and are placed in low-ability classes. This can have a lasting

effect and can lead to lower achievements in life. Once tracked into a lower ability group,

students are restricted in access to courses, programs, qualified teachers, and learning

opportunities. They may be unable to take honors courses because theyre told they wont

succeed. They wont be recommended for the math and science school because they arent

placed in the classes that will prepare them for it. Students in the lower tracked classes are often

unchallenged, subjected to a highly repetitive curriculum, and inexperienced or unqualified

teachers. (mste.illinois.edu)

Standardized tests are tests that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same questions,

or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that (2) is

scored in a standard or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative

performance of individual students or groups of students. It is hard to create a standardized test

when there is no standard students. (Time.) Therefore, the tests lean towards the dominate

population and culture, and that is the white culture. This places every minority at a disadvantage

especially in the cases of word use and cultural references. (The glossary of education reform.)

Teachers also have an effect on white privilege in schools. Teachers have their own

inclinations and tendencies. They have their own personal experiences, racial bias, and

stereotypes that effect how they teach certain students. Dominant culture can effect who becomes

teachers and who is hired in that district. Higher qualified teachers tend to leave lower socio-

economic communities, which tend to have higher minority demographics, because of the

violence. Socio-economic status is also an aspect of white privilege. Low income communities

and higher minority schools are associated with low academic achievement due to violence, lack

of motivation and an unsafe home and school environment. Lower academic achievements result
in lower resource allocation. Lower resource allocation results in lower quality of education and

the cycle continues.

Poverty

The association between white privilege and poverty go back to times of slavery, where

Italian and Irish immigrants were told that even though they are poor, at least they are not

niggers. And that word, having the effect and the weight it has even to this day, is a testament

to white systemic power. Today, white people who are at or below the poverty line have an

advantage over black people. They dont have to think about being white. Freedom of choice and

freedom of thought are enormous privileges that poor white people dont recognize. The choice

to think about the effects of race or racism when its convenient, is very different from the

experience of someone who can never for a second forget the color of their skin.

(teachingtolerance.com)

The average white family in America has 12 times the accumulated net worth than that of

the average black family and 8 times than Latino families. This is because even if the

grandparents and parents of the white families didnt have much, they were able to secure a

house and maybe some property or land because of FHA and VA loans that were available to

white people and off limits to people of color. In 2013, white working class families, those who

make around $15,000 a year, had the same average net worth of a black family with $60,000 or

more a year in income.

Conclusion

White privilege is prevalent in everyday life and has a great impact on people of color. It

impacts our education and directly correlates with poverty. Form tracking to standardized tests,
and teachers, black students are at a disadvantage through their educational careers. These

problems are systemic and they need to change.

White privilege isnt anyones fault and white people shouldnt feel bad or guilty because

of their privilege. But, white people need to recognize their white privilege and try to understand

when a marginalized group talk about their trials and tribulations and dont dismiss them.

Acknowledging, identifying, and teaching of white privilege to everyone and especially white

people, is are the first steps to dismantle white privilege and systemic racism. Step one,

acknowledge: accepting and admitting that white privilege does exist. Step two, identifying: once

you become aware of white privilege, you need to realize when that privilege is being asserted

either by you or society. Once you identify what specifically is white privilege and how it comes

about in everyday life, the next step is to teach. You are now aware of the privilege your skin

provides you, it is your responsibility to tell your friends, family, and children that they also have

this privilege. Explain to them what it is, in which situations it may come up, and how to be

empathetic to those who dont have the same privilege. Once everyone is made aware, real

change can begin to take place.


Works Cited

@nrookie, Noliwe M. Rooks. "Why Its Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests." Time. Time, 11

Oct. 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Concepts, Liberty. "Standardized Test Definition." The Glossary of Education Reform. N.p., 12

Nov. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

DeVega, Chauncey. "White privilege as economic reality: It would take African-Americans 228

years to reach the same level of wealth as whites." Salon. Salon Media Group Inc., 21 Aug.

2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

Holladay, Jennifer R. "On Racism and White Privilege." On Racism and White Privilege |

Teaching Tolerance - Diversity, Equity and Justice. Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc.,

n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2017


Mcintosh, Peggy. "Extending the Knapsack: Using the White Privilege Analysis to Examine

Conferred Advantage and Disadvantage." Women & Therapy 38.3-4 (2015): 232-45. Web. 15

Mar. 2017

"Review: White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack." Culture and Youth Studies. N.p.,

20 July 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Staff, Investopedia. "FHA Loan." Investopedia. N.p., 11 Oct. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

"Tracking in Schools... A Thing of the Past?" Tracking in Schools... A Thing of the Past? N.p.,

n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

TruthSpeaker87. "White Privilege, Racism, White Denial & The Cost of Inequality

YouTube." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Crosley-Corcoran, Gina. "Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person..." Occupy wall

street. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

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