In light of the recent Alton Sterling and Falcon Heights shootings, and as young people who frequent all kinds of social media, it's time we take a look at the terms "white privilege" and "racism". These phrases are so commonplace that they have become almost annoying. But they are very real things, and shouldn't be seen as annoying or commonplace at all - they should be seen, recognized, and understood. People tend to throw these words around and get defensive when they are used, because they don't understand what they mean. People are also flawed in that they don't see prejudice if it is against them or if it somehow interferes with how they live their own lives. But, in this case, ignorance is not bliss - it is the problem.
So, what exactly is white privilege, and why is it an issue?
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White privilege is a term that's been used both as a hateful term and a label. It's the idea (and fact) that within the American Justice System, and in daily life, Caucasians receive less harsh sentences than African Americans, or other minorities, who commit the same crimes. Approximately 14 million Caucasians admitted to using illegal drugs in a survey done by the NAACP, while only 2.6 million African Americans responded to having used illegal drugs. However, African Americans are 10 times more likely to be incarcerated for drug related crimes. Caucasians are also more likely to be hired or seen as desirable to employers, with an unemployment rate of only 5.8%, while African Americans are not, with an unemployment rate of approximately 15.8% in 2011.
Statistics aside, white privilege is all around us. It's seventeen year old me getting let go with a warning after getting pulled over for going 80 mph in a 40 mph zone near a school, but a 12 year old boy gets shot for playing with a toy gun in a park (in an open-carry state). I, a young teenager with very little driving experience, could have killed someone else, myself, and my little sister. I was being reckless, and posed a very real danger to people around me. But, the officer shook his head, smiled at me, and sent me on my way with a verbal warning. However, a grand jury in Ohio decided not to indict the two officers responsible for Tamir Rice's death because it was a "perfect storm of human error," and, "[due to the] mistakes and communications by all involved that day, the evidence did not indicate criminal conduct by police," according to prosecutor Tim McGinty. A young boy was murdered and his family will not see justice because his "size made him look bigger than he was" and he "appeared to pose a threat".
Alton Sterling was a 37 year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He sold CDs and DVDs outside of a small convenience store, with the permission of the store owner. Minutes before the incident, the store owner reported that Sterling entered the store "[to get] something to drink, [they] were joking around, (and [the store owner and Sterling] were) calling each other names." The store owner also reported "not being aware of an incident" which would would warrant a 9-11 call about a man brandishing a gun. Upon the arrival of the officers, Sterling was confused and asked what was happening, and why he was being confronted. Instead of being given the information, he was pinned against the hood of a car and tased, before being held on the ground and fatally shot. Meanwhile, I watched cops approach dozens of young, Caucasian kids on the boardwalk during my Senior Week who had open beer cans and were visibly drunk, and simply told them to pour out the alcohol. No underage drinking charges, no handcuffs, and not a single teenager who drunkenly fought back or cursed at the cop was shot.
In Falcon Heights, Minnesota, days after the Alton Sterling shooting, Diamond Reynolds used Facebook LiveStream to broadcast the shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castile. The two are pulled over with a four year old in the backseat for a busted taillight which, according to Reynolds, was not busted. Castile informed the officer, as he is required to by law, that he has a concealed weapon in the vehicle, along with a concealed carry permit. He is shot in the arm and then three more times upon reaching for his license from his wallet. A man is shot and killed in front of his girlfriend and four year old daughter for obeying the law, telling the truth, and doing nothing wrong, but when my friend got pulled over during winter break for hot boxing her car, the officer simply gave her a civil fine and sent her on her way, still under the influence of marijuana. She was driving under the influence of an illegal substance. She could have killed not only herself, but someone else. She was in possession of an illegal substance. But she was allowed to get back in her car and leave without a criminal record as long as she paid a $235 fine. Had she not been white, things would have turned out much differently.
Without her white privilege, Tomi Lahren, a "reporter" for TheBlaze, would not have been able to respond to Jesse William's BET Awards speech with: "[he] stands up at the BET Awards and bashes white people for being white — and yet I’m the racist? OK, sure. So if he’s half-white, is he then half-racist? Ponder that." Within the same two and a half minute clip, she also says things like: "Please tell me in what way black Americans are not equal," and insisting that they "do not deserve gold stars for their existence". Jesse Williams, and other Black Americans, aren't asking for gold stars - they're asking to not be afraid that their children won't come home after school because they're wearing the same hoodie their white classmates are wearing. They're asking not to be brutally attacked for asking "What is happening?" when encountering a police officer when whites take it for granted. He isn't bashing white people for being white. He's calling for the end of racial profiling done by white, male police officers (and, too often, the rest of us). Yes, legally, black Americans have the same rights as white Americans. But, the justice system is flawed, and laws can be re-worded and shaped to fit a racially-centric agenda.
As white Americans, it's our job to use our privilege and our un-spoken rights to help those who don't have voices. It's our duty to stand up for people like Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice, and Philando Castile, who were murdered because they were racially profiled and their lives were seen as meaningless. A white college student can rape an unconscious girl and get six months in jail because "anything more would damage his future", but a black man can't even drive his car without risking being pulled over and shot. It's disgusting, it's un-American, and it needs to be changed.
