What Is The Study Of White Privilege?
“White Privilege” is a social and economic phenomenon that is fatalistically intertwined with race and racism. The American Anthropological Association states, “The racial worldview was invented to assign some groups to perpetual low statuses, while others were permitted access to privilege, power and wealth.”
Although the definition of “White Privilege” is generally agreed to refer to as the implicit and systemic advantages that people who are White have over people who are not White.
The term “White Privilege” is used to define glaring unwritten benefits “White People” are given in societies where racism is prevalent. Further, Whiteness is considered normal and to the extreme of social and economical detriments to people who are the objects of racism.
Peggy McIntosh’s 1988 Essay “White Privilege and Male Privilege”
In her 1988 essay, “White Privilege and Male Privilege” Peggy McIntosh describes her understanding of “White Privilege” as unearned advantages based on race, which can be observed both systemically and individually, like all unearned privileges in society (such as those related to class, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or ability).
She calls, “unacknowledged male privilege” held unconsciously by men’s societal hierarchies; as an invisible, weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear and blank checks”.
Why Does Implicit Bias Tests Matter for CEOs and Presidents to Effectively Lead?
In order for corporations to morally and financially commit to dismantling racism their CEOs and presidents must understand how their leadership, conscious or unconscious, upholds White supremacy with their employees and vendors.
We all have implicit biases demanding critical action steps in order to understand, address, disrupt and change. And no CEO and President can purport to be an exceptional leader without turning the mirrors on themselves before adopting equity and inclusion programs focused on untangling historical policies of passive and aggressive discrimination against employees and supply vendors.
Is Color Blind and all Americans Created Equally?
Color is unequivocally not BLIND and all Americans are indisputably not created Equal. We’re all in this anti-racism initiative together. Peggy McIntosh describes “White Privilege” as a powerful bank account one could endlessly spend for social and economical change.
CEOs and Presidents of Fortune 100 and 500 corporations have the power to constructively use their social and economic positions to eradicate unjust privilege systems under their leadership. They collectively hold the checkbooks to consciously elect to weaken the power of “White Privilege” in workplaces and supplier vendor chains.
What is Equity in the Workplace and Business?
EQUITY shall only occur when there are conscious decisions made by CEOs and Presidents to incorporate measurable steps, to invest substantial dollars into course-correcting the unbalance to balance in their workplaces and supplier vendor chains.