Privilege

I watched a monologue by Darryl Wellington, a freelance writer who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I had discovered him through a piece he did on homelessness awhile back.  In the monologue he talked about white people being privileged.  I thought, no I am not privileged.  I come from a middle class background and I have been middle class all my life.  Then I got what he was talking about.

Yes, I have seen discrimination all my life but I have never lived it.  I have never been watched in a store to make sure I was not going to steal something.  I have never moved over so someone else could pass by because of the color of my skin.  I have never had to fight to get an equal education. I have never dealt with the same kind of treatment that many people in our country have dealt with because of the color of their skin or the nature of their heritage.

I don't know how I would respond to that.  As I am right now it would make me very angry.  It makes me angry anyway and it is not happening to me.  In the monologue Darryl spoke of not wanting to talk about his feelings about the election and did not want to hear how sorry people were that this regime was so bigoted and prejudiced.  I am sure that his heart is aching, as we all thought we had come so far, only to find out we hadn't come far at all.

Yes, I am a person of privilege and right now I am feeling pretty ashamed of that privilege.  It hurts other people and makes them feel less than.  I would gladly give up that privilege to have my friends and neighbors truly feel they are my brothers and sisters.