White Privilege

​By Tiana Orbaker
White Privilege is an invisible force that needs to be recognized and not ignored. The issue is how it goes unnoticed by white people themselves. The problem is whenever white privilege is brought up people get offended and say it’s not a real thing or assume you’re calling them racist when saying they have “white privilege” which is not true. White privilege exists because of historic events enduring racism and biases. “This idea of white privilege as unseen, unconscious advantages took hold.”(Teaching Tolerance article.) This affects anyone, even white people themselves.
Some notice how things are easier for them and that they have subtle advantages.  For instance, being able to turn on the television or open the front page and see their race widely represented. Whites easily can choose blemish or bandages in “flesh” color and have them match their skin. This alone shows that one race is valued more than others, according to activist Peggy McIntosh. We should care about this injustice because it goes deeper than just tv shows: people’s feelings have been hurt and people’s lives have been taken over this matter. We need to recognize this and not ignore where this comes from and why white privilege still has its staying power.