Based on ‘So you want to talk about race’ by Dr. Ijeoma Oleo

Privilege, in the social justice context, is an advantage or a set of advantages that you have that others do not. While privilege is often ascribed to certain social groups such as race, physical ability, gender, class, etc., they can also lie in unforeseen areas – sexuality, body type, and neurological differences.

The connotation has completely shifted recently. Having a privilege or being part of a privileged class now creates a visceral emotion – whether it’s shame, denial, vitriol, or even indifferent.

“Check your Privileges”

Those closest to me know I hold strongly held beliefs – whether it’s religious, spiritual, or political. One thing that I try my best to do is to communicate openly and actively listen, especially when I’m discussing my perspective with someone who may not share the same belief system; and it’s hard especially when emotions get mixed in.

That’s why I HATE this phrase. It’s dismissive of their feelings and shuts down any productive conversation that could have arose from the situation – even IF they may actually have a privilege that they may not recognize they have. And most of the time, it serves no other purpose besides trying to win an argument or to silence opposition.

It’s my belief that the increased and continual use of this phrase leads to such backlash or negative connotation associated with the word ‘privilege’ and possessing one. It has weaponized the word, turning what was once a neutral word into one that is met with hostility or denial.

The Need to Recognize Privilege

This whole social and cultural shift disappoints me because I maintain that society would greatly benefit from introspection. Understanding the nuance behind what separates those who “have” and those who “have-not” allows for open dialogue on how we as a society can bridge this gap and tackle inequality.

All that being said, this begins with you. Have an honest conversation with yourself on what certain privileges you may have and benefit from. From there, you can better empathize how not having that privilege may negatively affect your life – something you may not have been aware of before. I find that writing it down as a list is beneficial and I turn to the following passage from Dr. Oleo’s So you want to talk about race as inspiration and a strong example; in fact, it’s this exact chapter that’s inspired this post.

Let’s use a bit of my privilege as an example: I have a college degree in political science. I worked very hard for my degree, studying at all hours of the night while also taking care of a small child. I probably worked harder than many of the other students in my class, being the only black female single parent there. I also worked hard to get into college in the first place, maintaining my grades while working every evening to help my single mom make ends meet. I’m proud of my degree and the effort that I put into it. While I do have a right to be proud of my degree, it would be dishonest of me to pretend that this degree is 100 percent owed to my efforts.
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I was raised by a college-educated mother who taught me that a degree was important. I grew up as a neuro-typical, nondisabled child whom school was designed to serve and for whom teachers were willing and trained to dedicate their time and efforts. My grade school education was free and open to people of all genders and economic classes. I had enough security in my home and nutrition as a child to be able to concentrate on my studies. I live in a country that provides at least some college grants and loans. I grew up in an area that allows and supports the advanced education of women. I did not have to drop out of school to help support my family. I am a documented citizen and therefore eligible for financial aid. These are just some of the many ways in which privilege helped me get my college degree. To look at this list and say, “anybody could do this if they just work hard enough” would be a lie.

When we think of someone who has privilege, we typically don’t think about a black single mom putting herself through college who also had to work every evening to help her single mom make ends meet. That’s really what stuck out to me: that someone who clearly went through so many trials and tribulations were reflecting on all the privileges that they were given.

Redefining Privilege

I think that if we were to redefine privilege, it’d avoid causing visceral reactions and lead to more productive conversations around the topic of privilege.

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Privilege is an advantage that can’t be 100% attributed to your effort. Oftentimes, hard work leads to a manifestation of this privilege – making it different from pure luck or chance.

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