White Privilege in My Career Essay - 975 Words

Ms. McIntosh made a particularly resonant statement about halfway through her essay; â€Å"my skin color was an asset for any move I was educated to want to make.† I have always been free to move around the country, to make my own choices, own my independence and enjoy the freedom of my liberation. Considerations she includes on her list of privileges never actively entered into my decision making process. I was always able to find suitable housing and employment and educational opportunities to advance myself in anyway I decided. This made me wonder if in fact I had earned through merit and achievement all I believe I have to date. When I married and had a child, it was a simple proposition to purchase a home, a car, get a job with a†¦show more content†¦Throughout my employment with the firm I never encountered a single employee who had graduated from an undergraduate institute that was not a national or internationally ranked university. This fact in and of itself may not seem biased, but this hiring criteria eliminated all candidates from regional schools and local schools. This elimination criteria alone can be imputed to have reduced the ethnic pool of candidates substantially. The demographics of Tampa in 2010 were 26% black and 23% Hispanic and 46% white. I was in high school during the 80’s, the demographics were more evenly distributed between the three groups during that time. The increase in whites over the three decades is attributable largely to intrastate migration. This makes it safe to assume that the number of whites representative of Tampa in 1992 was somewhere between 33-46% of the total population. The first hiring meeting I attended was held in an auditorium large enough to hold three hundred people. My recollection of this first meeting is that the audience was fairly diverse, at least as diverse as the University of South Florida student body, which was much less diverse than the city ofShow MoreRelatedWhat Social Justice Issues Are You Most Passionate About And Why?888 Words   |  4 Pagespolicy, yet there has been a systemic erasure of women of color in feminism throughout history, and systemic silencing of women in racial politics. As a Global Health student, I am passionate about the mental and physical health of women of color. My research argues racial, gendered, and economic oppression can directly cause mental illness, such as depression, among women of color. And yet, there remain vast health disparities among communities of color due to the prevalence of inadequate treatmentRead MoreEssay The Educational Benefits of White Male Privilege845 Words   |  4 PagesEducational Benefits of White Male Privilege What is learned in school, be it public or private, determines, for the most part, what position an individual will find themselves in - in the future. In â€Å"White Privilege and Male Privilege,† Peggy McIntosh, an author known for doing something that is rarely done in the white community--speaking of her race--makes references to education, to her privileged education, to support her argument on white and male privilege. Sometimes I wonder whatRead MoreWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack786 Words   |  4 PagesWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack Peggy McIntosh’s piece â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack† describes the privileges white people gets without realizing their advantage over others. 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ThoughRead MoreWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack920 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle, â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack†, Peggy McIntosh talks about the various privileges white people receive. Her basic idea was to inform the readers that whites are taught to ignore the fact that they enjoy social privileges that people of color do not because we live in a society of white dominance. McIntosh lists some daily white privileges; a variety of daily instances where white dominance is clear. Her examples include privileges relating to education, careers, entertainmentRead MorePersonal Privilege, Privilege And Privilege843 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Privilege Personal privilege is privilege one receives based on unearned qualities such as skin color, gender, socioeconomic status, demographics, or cultural characteristics (Lee, 2007). Being White and growing up in a predominately White community limited my exposure to other cultures and races. While I was limited to my exposure to other cultures and races I have become aware of White privilege and who it influences interactions with different races and cultures. Whites tend to view â€Å"theirRead MoreWhite Privilege Persuasive Speech1746 Words   |  7 Pages Good evening, my name is Alyssa Bosley and, to begin, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am 15 years old and currently live in Northern Kentucky. I pretty much follow the basic teenager routine. I stress about schoolwork, listen to music, like hanging out with my friends, and I m racist. Wait, did that last one surprise you? The unfortunate reality is that I, along with over half of America, benefit from the effects of white privilege at the expense of people of color. DespiteRead MorePrivilege Is Power By That I1149 Words   |  5 PagesPrivilege is power. By that I mean it gives one a sense of freedom and safety that not everyone else has. It allows for those who have it to walk through this earth without fear of prejudice or stereotypes. Throughout this memo I would like to describe my privilege, how it effects me, how it effects those around me, and how I plan on using my privilege in the future. White and Privileged I know that as a young, white, and educated woman, that I am privileged. I have rights and power that I am unawareRead MoreAnalysis Of The Play Straight White Men 866 Words   |  4 PagesJanuary 23, a couple of classmates and I went to see Young Jean Lee’s â€Å"Straight White Men,† a play examining the values and privileges of being a straight white male. The play is set in a house on Christmas Eve. Although we originally chose this performance because it fitted best with our schedules, I was interested to see what message the Asian playwright wanted to convey to her audience through the interactions of a white family. As a student at the University of Michigan, I interact with studentsRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack1455 Words   |  6 PagesThis purpose of this paper is to synthesize this writer s three key revelations from this semester which are, (1) white privilege, (2) curriculum corruption and inadequate United States history educa tion in K-12 public schools, and (3) United States legislation which disadvantages the minor races as a means for the dominate race to maintain power and control. Thus, this exploration organizes each area of significant course discovery, which a hybrid of class sources and readings relating to each