White Privilege and my Daily Life
The Antiracist White Chick: Episode 5
Now that we know the definition of white privilege, I want to really show you what it looks like in our daily lives. In Peggy McIntosh’s essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh creates a list of 50 of these daily conditions that we White folks enjoy, solely from the color of our skin. This list fascinates, mortifies, and challenges me — to really stay awake in seeing where my white privilege lurks — daily — and to be better in not allowing it to continue.
I picked 12 conditions from this list to share with you so you can see what a sneaky and brilliant adversary we are dealing with. I was oblivious to these simple “perks” that are actually just normal life for White folk…but not for anyone else. It was shocking to me to really see how these unearned advantages are hidden in so many parts of my life.
Please share any Daily Effects you think of or experience so we can continue to check ourselves — and our privilege — and dig it out of the culture we have unconsciously allowed to be the “societal” norm.
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The story was previously published on The Good Men Project.
About Nicola Graham
Nicola Graham is an actress, comedian, host, writer, and content creator based in Los Angeles. She has acted in numerous film, television, and new media projects and has hosted multiple internet shows and podcasts. Known for comedy and her sketch projects and characters, Nicola’s passions and creative desires changed dramatically upon the death of George Floyd. Finding new social justice awareness and facing her own racist inactions caused her to reflect on the type of work she wanted to create in the world. She began the series “The Antiracist White Chick” to tell her personal journey of her learnings on how to be an antiracist. Nicola is currently writing a comedy pilot to demystify racism for White folk and further open the dialogue on this important movement.
Follow Nicola on Twitter and Instagram: @Nicola_Graham For more on Nicola and her work, visit NicolaGraham.net
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