Anonymous,
Baltimore, MD
I am a middle class American female, who, through feminism, was able to come to terms with my real place in this society. Through my ongoing search to define what being a woman means to me, and being an active participant in the debate community, I have come across many pieces of great literature that have shaped my opinions on race. While I am aware that I am not allowed to make any definite statement for anyone of any other race other than mine, I will say that being white in this society has made it harder for me to accept who I am. I was blinded by my teachers and family, and a lot of the time I was made to feel like a victim of a society that was starting to lean towards the ‘minorities’, eventually alienating whites. Now I know my drastic mistakes, but being constantly fed the drug that I am white and I should feel guilty if I recognize my privilege made me want to empathize or compensate with other races(in my then distorted mindset). I subconsciously told myself that if I was a victim of racism too, then I would be blame free and connect with other people. This is nuts. Directly following my realization of just how nuts this was, I went through the phase of white guilt. I felt horrible for being white. I wanted to be of another race because of how ashamed I was to be a contribution to this racist society. Luckily, I was able to remove myself from my foolishness and accept who I am in this world and the privileges that go along with it. I know that I was born into an easier life trajectory. I know that I statistically have a higher chance of getting a higher paid job. And I now know that it is not my fault for being white and having these privileges, but it is my duty to be an ally in whatever way I can. Every day, I set out with the goal to try and make another person my age see the error in their ways, and I am able to do that a lot of the time. More people have come to see their privilege and what to do about it, and it is my firm belief that if that dialogue and questioning of our government and the way in which it functions is not happening then we, as a human race, perpetuate a racist system without acknowledging the plight and hardships of everyone else and other perspectives around us. Because of the things I have learned, I believe that I need to share this with other people in order to grow and help the world change. Racism does not equal prejudice, and be careful what you call racism relative to the struggles of others. Think about your social location. Make a change in which we see our country and our world. It starts with you.
