The Importance Of White Privilege

White privilege is a difficult topic, which can cause confusion and disagreement. It is simply an unearned advantage that white people were born with. This advantage is both minor and significant that white people hold in American society. Until now, people have difficulties to believe that white privilege exists and figure out how to end it. This essay will define white privilege by using the McIntosh’s article, Martin’s article and my relationship to white privilege.
“Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they’ve done or failed to do” (McIntosh). These powerful words show us how white people and people of color experience,

the word in different ways. McIntosh defines white privilege as a powerful idea of an “invisible weightless knapsack” that gives white people favored position, status, acceptance, and more. Her main goal in this article is the fact that people need systematic change, which can be done by acknowledgment and teaching of white privilege for oneself and then others. The day everyone understands white privilege, is when the issue can be addressed and stopped.
In Martin’s article we learned about what constitutes white identity by seeing it from both positive and negative perspectives, privilege and liability, invisible and real. All these detentions play a big role in how we communicate with others. The author tells us that because of power and privileged status in society, white identity is never questioned. One example of what constitutes being white is the fact that white people almost never talk about issues of power when discussing inter ethnic communication. This is one aspect of being white because this same question is a central issue for African Americans. Martin also mentioned white privileges that weren’t very positive, by bringing up college students who were complaining how students of color called them racist because they were white. “Our identities are simultaneously shaping and being shaped by our communication” (Judith). White privilege is all about how we see it and how we work against it.
My cousin is half-black half-white, but looks white with blue eyes and really light hair.

So one day we went shopping and after we were done, my cousin who was in front of me in the line went up to pay. She went ahead to write a check for the stuff that she was going to buy and I was just waiting in line. She went to the checker, who was also white. The checker started talking to my cousin and they were having a very warm conversation. After my cousin was done with her transaction, she went ahead to the side to wait for me. When I went up to the checker there was absolutely no conversation, she just looked at me, and I started writing my check. While I was writing my check she told me that needs to see two pieces of I.D. At this point I got very embarrassed and I didn’t know what to say. I just took out the two pieces of I.D. and this is when she took out the bad check book and started searching for my license. My cousin walked back in and said, “Excuse me, why are you doing this?” The checker said, that it’s their policy. My cousin answered by saying that it’s not because she didn’t do that to her. Then the manager came up and my cousin explained the situation and all the other customers were in shock. As we see my cousin used her white privilege and even though she’s half-black and half-white she recognizes what that means; and she made the statement. She used her white privilege to educate others and fix the situation that was wrong. This is what people need to do every single

day.
People of all racial groups constantly struggle against white privilege. It is important to acknowledge that privilege exists and use our privilege to work hard to fight against inequality, injustice and oppression. Racism and oppression exist and accepting them is really important, even if we benefit from it.