Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

by Layla F. Saad

asking this question is often a way to mitigate or deflect feelings of racial discomfort.

Building the racial stamina required to challenge the racist status quo is thus a critical part of our work as white people. Rushing ahead to solutions—especially when we have barely begun to think critically about the problem—bypasses the necessary personal work and reflection and distances us from understanding our own complicity. In fact, racial discomfort is inherent to an authentic examination of white supremacy. By avoiding this discomfort, the racist status quo is protected.

The system of white supremacy was not created by anyone who is alive today. But it is maintained and upheld by everyone who holds white privilege—whether

White supremacy is not just an attitude or a way of thinking. It also extends to how systems and institutions are structured to uphold this white dominance.

it was women’s studies scholar Peggy McIntosh who first coined the term white privilege in her 1988 paper, “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies.”

Peggy McIntosh’s list of fifty examples of white privilege is a great place to start to see how white privilege shows up. Extracted examples from “White Privilege and Male Privilege” include: 1.I can, if I wish, arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time. 7.When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is. 12.I can go into a book shop and count on finding the writing of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods that fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can deal with my hair. 15.I did not have to educate our children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection. 25.If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race. 36.If my day, week, or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it has racial overtones. 41.I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.