Privilege 1: The Company You Keep

I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

The history of residential segregation in the United States is extensive.  Never, in US history, has  there been a time in which people of color were not forceably denied access to white residential areas.  The film Race, the Power of An Illusion (video three) explains the practices of redlining int he 1950s and how that led to the current gap in wealth between whites and blacks.  The book The Color of Wealth, by Rose Brewer, also highlights this gap, as well as the wealth gap between other races.  


I don't want to get to into that, or I'd write the entire post about the 1950's practices.  I urge you to check out those sources.


Another way in which segregation was - and is - maintained is through violence.  The phenomena of Sundown Towns has been thoroughly documented in the book Sundown Towns by James Loewen. Sundown Towns are cities in which segregation was maintained through physical violence against people of color in addition to economic and political boycotts of any people of color who entered the city limits.  


A couple of towns that still posted signs warning people of color to keep out include: 

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§  Arab, Alabama

§  Marlow, Oklahoma

§  Sullivan, Missouri

Now we know that white people have historically organized society such that they can live separate from people of color.  We also know that this segregation continues.  However, we have not discussed the ways in which residential segregation also leads to geographical division in employment.  Thus, people of color have been physically forced into segregated communities against their will.  And, even when living in separate communities people of color have had to travel into white neighborhoods for employment.

I used to live in Washington DC.  As some of you know, DC is one of the most segregated cities in the United States with most of the people of color living in Southeast DC and most of the white people living in NW DC. 

As you can guess, most of the places of employment are also in NW DC. Thus, despite residential segregation, people of color remain forced to travel into white spaces to work.  Often times they are forced into the jobs that are more physically demanding and with longer hours.  


This is just one example of how white people are able to choose who they are surrounded by at all times - and people of color are not.  

26 Days of Privilege

Last week I had the opportunity to teach about white privilege in the course I TA.  We took the Peggy McIntosh article, written in the 1980s, and updated it as a class.  I had them work in small groups to pick out the examples highlighted by McIntosh that may be outdated and in need of modification - as well as come up with new ones.  

For the next 26 days I'm going to post McIntosh's 26 examples of white privilege, show how my students updated them, and subsequently provide evidence of its continued relevance.  Its kind of like advent for anti-racist activists.