White privilege is what everyone is talking about these days. And many of us who are not white are asking our friends and coworkers to check their white privilege. What we have come to know is that white skin allows those with it to move about in our world with advantages. They have access to societies assets that many people who are not white have a hard time accessing: money, education, jobs, bank loans, housing . . . I could go on.
Yet, we all have some sort of privilege. I learned about this years ago from Dr. Stephen Ray. The congregation I was pastor of invited Ray to talk about his book Do No Harm: Social Sin and Christian Responsibility. As he lead an Adult Forum at St. John’s he challenged even me, to check my privilege. He made me realize that in order to speak against social sin, we have to recognize who we are and locate ourselves socially.
So I can locate myself as a fifty something African American women and while that places me as a member of an oppressed group, I can also name my privilege. Here is a list: I have light skin; I am extremely educated (three degrees); I am nondisabled; I am cisgender; I am a documented citizen; I am an ordained clergy person; I am neuro-typical; I travel internationally for work; I have a reliable income, reliable transportation and stable housing.
And while it may have taken tremendous struggle to be some of these things, I know that it was not totally on my own. What I mean by this, is being able to work in certain places because my lighter complexion helps whites to be a little less uncomfortable with me, than with those with darker complexions. I am not happy about this; yet, now, that I have checked my privilege, according to Ijeoma Oluo, I am ready to speak up for those who don’t have the same privilege.
So, come on people, Check Your Privilege!
On Being Beige 