What Exactly is “Whiteness” and Where Did it Originate From?

Why acknowledging white privilege is the first step in moving forward.

The privilege that comes with being white is something that not all whites accept as true. Though throughout their life, they likely never had to think about being white during times of distress or hardship, which alone is a clear sign of their privilege.

Tired and angry souls protest from coast to coast in an effort to bring an end to all of the injustices Black people have faced throughout history, and devastatingly enough, during our lifetime and in this past month.

Now more than ever, we must fight against the injustices of our broken system. Peacefully, arm in arm, we must rise above the hate and funnel our despair and pain into passionate change and movement — not by rioting, looting, destruction, etc which just furthers the hate and cycles it back into the Universe.

As a Young White Woman, I am Privileged

I had never thought about what it meant to be white a day in my life. Then I met my professor Jeffrey Wilhelms of Rutgers University, and he opened my eyes by offering me a compassionate reality check.

I was admittingly glazed over in a state of white obliviousness, a term coined to describe that since white is often considered normal, there is no reason to stop and think about being “normal.” And in a white supremacist society, I can live fearlessly without thinking about being white.

He informed me that when we bring attention to whiteness or racism, we risk being labeled a “traitor to our own race.” And as I acquired new information, a fresh outlook on life, and accurate descriptions of what transpired in the Black community over history, I began to realize that I must stand against all types of oppression, no matter the cost.

Unjust Laws Must Be Broken

It is my character to fight for what is wrong, as unjust laws must be broken. I fight for the oppression of animals because it stirs my moral compass, and I have chosen to be a voice for the voiceless.

And there is always room in my heart to fight against all types of oppression in the world as it exists today. So I start by encouraging other whites to simply acknowledge their privilege, in an effort to make small steps toward what is transpiring as a revolution, and unfortunately a dangerous rebellion.

What is ‘Whiteness?’

Whiteness is a constantly shifting boundary separating those who are entitled to certain benefits from those whose exploitation and vulnerability to violence are justified by their not being white.

In recent history in Western Europe, those with English heritage were perceived as pure white. The Irish, Russians, and Spanish were non-white and sometimes considered Black. The “white” category was slowly extended to include Italians, Poles, Russians, and Greeks.

The US has always been binary between those who counted as Christians and those that were Pagans. But then, Africans and Native Americans began to convert to Christianity. The land-owning class used racism to divide workers and make it easier for those in power to control working conditions. Whiteness was now separated from Christianity.

A clear hierarchy formed. By 1730, racial divisions were firmly in place legally and socially. Most Blacks were enslaved, and freed slaves lost the right to vote, the right to bear arms, and the right to bear witness. At this time, whites gained the right to corn, money, a gun, clothing, and fifty acres of land at the end of indentureship.

Genetic Differences

Social Darwinism attempted to classify the human population into distinct categories of races and put them on an evolutionary scale with whites on top.

The original classifications contained up to 63 categories but a standard became Cucasoid, Negronis, and Mongoloid — not based on genetic differences, but on differences perceived as important by European Americans.

They were based on cultural differences and mismeasures of physiological traits like brain size. The difference in brain size was eventually proven to be complete rubbish.

If we Acknowledge White privilege, What Happens?

Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and all great change comes in time and with consistent, undying effort. If you are white, acknowledge the power your skin grants you. Small changes around the nation and world will cause a ripple effect and have already begun to.

Before long, we will make waves of change together. It can be done. Anything can be done with enough passion and willpower. There is strength in numbers. Do it for our Black brothers and sisters. Do it for society and generations to come.

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