Recently in the news, the phrase "white privilege" has become rather prominent. "White privilege" is defined as "a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in Western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances." Basically, "white privilege" is a loosely applicable phrase which is used in any situation in which a Caucasian person is more successful than a person of other descent.
I always knew what "white privilege" was, but I never thought about it too much. I had friends of all different ethnicities who accepted life for what it was: hard. However, recently, the phrase became personal for me. Upon stating my views on the Eric Sheppard Challenge (a trend that swept the Internet in which people challenge one another to walk on the American flag), I was told that the challenge only offended me due to my "white privilege." I thought about it for a few days, and now I am here to tell you...
Yes, I am privileged, but it is absolutely not because I am white.
I come from a family comprised of my mother, my father, and my brother. For the first 18 years of my life, my parents provided for me the best they could. With my father being slightly disabled, he still worked every single day to bring home money to keep food on our table and a roof over our heads. My mother was an elementary school teacher, so what little money she got to keep was put in a savings account so that I would have something to thrive off of in the future. I was clothed from whatever thrift store or clearance rack we could find. We went on one family vacation per year, but that took overtime hours for dad and after-school hours for mom. The older I got, the more it bothered me to see how hard the two of them had to work for us to be able to consider ourselves "privileged."
When it came time for me to choose a college, there was no question about where I would be. The university I chose was the only one that offered me a full ride (based on academics and athletics), so I chose it. Do I wish I could have gone to a bigger, better, more thrilling school? Absolutely. Did choosing the school I did take stress off the shoulders of my parents? Definitely. Do I regret choosing the least desirable school just so that my parents wouldn't have to worry? Absolutely not.
Now, I live paycheck to paycheck, putting back enough to pay my bills and have approximately $50 for leisurely activities. I fully furnish my closet from Goodwill, and I am not afraid to tell people that.
Tell me I am privileged because I am white and I will tell you are wrong. Tell me anyone is privileged because of their race, and I will tell you are wrong yet again. You don't earn privilege by having a specific skin color. You earn privilege by hard work, determination, and by humbling yourself. You must know that God is in control of what path you take in life, and you have to accept it and enjoy the ride. Whether you're dressed in Vineyard Vines or a Goodwill special, it doesn't matter. Happiness determines your privilege, and that makes me the most privileged child of God ever.
I once heard it explained that "white privilege" is a term used as a sort of blanket condemnation of any success a Caucasian person might achieve. Regardless of any advantages a minority member might receive at any given point in life, white privilege is assumed anytime a white person reaches success.
Forget the label of "white privilege." Whether Caucasian, Asian, Black, Latino, or whatever ethnicity you identify with, go out and get your privilege. It's right there waiting for you; it's all in the work you put in to achieve it.
