My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest
He wanted to know how institutional racism has made an impact on my life. I’m glad he asked, because I was ready to answer.
By Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Yesterday I was tagged in a post by an old high school friend asking me and a few others a very public, direct question about white privilege and racism. I feel compelled not only to publish his query, but also my response to it, as it may be a helpful discourse for more than just a few folks on Facebook.
Here’s his post:
To all of my Black or mixed race FB friends, I must profess a blissful ignorance of this “White Privilege” of which I’m apparently guilty of possessing. By not being able to fully put myself in the shoes of someone from a background/race/religion/gender/nationality/body type that differs from my own makes me part of the problem, according to what I’m now hearing.