All of this talk about white privilege gets me confused. I am white and don’t feel privileged. I grew up lower middle class and worked my way through college and have worked hard for everything that I have.
Personally, you did earn what you have and you should get credit for that. When we speak of privilege in reference to race and other human differences, we are referring to social privilege. It’s a social process where you get certain rights, rewards, benefits, access, opportunities or advantages simply due to being white and without regard to your personal achievement.
That’s because historical and current day practices have been set up in a way to benefit you as a white person more than a person of color. It’s like getting a head start in a race or already having money put into a bank account that you just opened.
Because social privilege is often invisible to the recipient, you do not “feel” or experience the benefits as benefits. You take it for granted that these benefits have been provided for everyone. Unfortunately, they have not. Getting to We is about understanding and acknowledging social privilege and working to make sure these benefits are afforded to everyone.