Anonymous
Chicago, IL
I am female and white. Often I am told by my POC friends that my life is easier than theirs and I am privileged because I am white. We discuss race and culture because we are comfortable and open with one another. I hear their points of view on a predominately white society, history, and institutionalized racism and such, and I do agree that these things are problems. But what is also a problem is the fact that I no longer get a personal voice BECAUSE I am white. They explain their hardship, and I explain mine, but my hardships are brushed off as not a big deal, because I’m white.
My grandparents came to this country less than 75 years ago with no money and no clue how to speak English. They worked and were poor and were discriminated against because they were “ethnic” and did not speak English at home. My parents and grandparents REFUSED to teach me their language and only let us celebrate our heritage behind closed doors, because they wanted my generation to be “Americans.” As if embracing our culture was such a horrible thing in society’s eyes. I was told to be a certain way so that society would accept me. When I tell that story, it is brushed off as not important because my skin color is what society accepts.
When I say that I am proud to look how I look and I am proud of my heritage, POC tell me that I don’t have the right to be proud, because everything is always about white people. I know I am a majority, but I doubt I have it better than every POC.
I am currently working full time as well as being a full time student at the age of 19. While my POC friends’ parents are paying for school, I am paying for it all on my own. While they go out and party after class, I go to work. I am struggling to support myself, living paycheck to paycheck, while they are living off of their parents’ money.
And I am told about how I have it good because I am white.
I am working hard. It is not my fault that I had a good education. My parents and grandparents worked for it. I worked for it. I am still working for it. I should be able to be proud of the hard work that my family and I have been doing for years.
When I do well, it is seen by POC as typical because I am white. My success shouldn’t be attributed to my skin color.
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