What Is White Privilege?

by Leigh Ann Erickson, Kelisa Wing

Race in America has been avoided in children's education for too long. What Is White Privilege? explores the concept of systemic and intrinsic racism in a comprehensive, honest, and age-appropriate way. Developed in conjunction with educator, advocate, and author Kelisa Wing to reach children of all races and encourage them to approach race issues with open eyes and minds. Includes 21st Century Skills and content, as well as a PBL activity across the Racial Justice in America series. Also includes a table of contents, glossary, index, author biography, sidebars, educational matter, and activities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Middle Grade

32 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Jennifer]

This is one of the books I read simply because it was on the list that a radical right-wing TX representative wants to pull from school and library shelves.

Short, clear, and straightforward - this is a basic introduction to the issue of privilege, specifically White Privilege. It's broad overview to get the discussion started, but definitely needs follow-up and critical thinking and discussion to really be useful. But, it's got great information and some resources listed in the back to continue the learning.

Recommended for 3rd-6th graders.

[Bruce]

Erickson starts the book with an image borrowed from President Lyndon Johnson’s speech about the Voting Rights act of 1965 by asking her fourth through sixth grade readers to imagine a race in which each runner is assigned a lane in which to run that has some hurdles to be cleared. But looking around you see that some lanes have more hurdles or higher hurdles than others. If you are the runner with lower hurdles or less hurdles then you have privilege. But privilege is not earned; it is granted or given.

Interestingly she then goes on to write:

Sometimes, to understand what White privilege is, it’s helpful to understand what White privilege is not. White privilege does not mean that White people have never worked hard. It does not mean that White people have not earned some of the success and power they have. It also does not mean that White people have never suffered.

She describes the difference of her white great-grandfather in the 1920s, and the difference between his ability to advance in the mines, get better pay, and own a house and raise a family, and the outcomes for Black coal miners, who were denied the chance to advance as the result of slavery. Jim Crow, segregation, and lynching. White privilege, “the result of centuries of racism and bias.”

White privilege is bad for everyone including the unpleasant feeling it can give to White people. Nevertheless, the book concludes with hopeful examples of what individuals like Joan Mulholland, Peggy McIntosh, and Jane Elliott have done in the past and activities to raise awareness and then take action.

Co-author Kelisa Wing is currently the Department of Defense Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Both are professional educators.

[Amanda]

2.5
This book does a good job of explaining what White privilege is but the format is not engaging. There are multiple pages of solid text, no text boxes or on page definitions like others in this series.

[Christi]

I think this book does a better job than the "Defund the Police" but still wasn't as good as it could have been.