Ashley’s Blog

In the Declaration of Independence it was stated, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Within this sentence there is a phrase that to this day has yet to be portrayed within American society. The truth is people may be created equal but they may not be considered as equals. In a society that is predominately white, whites seem to receive more and better advantages than people who are considered to be minorities. These advantages that whites receive are due to something called white privilege.

According to Robert Jensen who wrote the article, “White Privilege Shapes the
U.S.,” “…the ultimate white privilege: [is the] privilege to acknowledge you have unearned privilege but ignore what it means. (pg 79 Privilege: A Reader)”  Jensen makes a point through this statement, some whites realize that they have advantages over other races, however they choose ignore it due to the fact we are said to be in an equal society. However, most whites think they receive their advantages through building themselves up through hard work. They do not realize the benefits their relatives have received and had passed them down through the generations. The fact that these advantages still exist in the twenty first century proves that there is still forms racism alive today.

When writing on such an emotional and political issue, I believe that one should recognize both sides of the issue. In American society when we hear the word racism, we mostly hear of whites discriminating minorities. Also, its not minorities that have the privileges, its strictly whites. However, I beg to differ. There is such a thing known as minority privileges. For example, the government has placed multiple racial status quos that corporations and universities, and other miscellaneous public places must meet in order to stay in business. This allows for minorities to get somewhat of an advantage over a white person. Not only is it shown through job opportunities and university acceptances, but also in financial aid recipients.   

I spent the majority of my senior year of high school applying for as many scholarships that I could find. However the amount of scholarships that are open to minorities only seem to outnumber the amount open to anyone. The reasoning for this however is understandable, minority wealth and finances seem to be substantially smaller than those of whites. As stated in the article, “Overview: The Roots of the Racial Wealth Divide,” written by Lui, “The racial wealth gap has continued to grow. From 1995 to 2001, according to the Federal Bank Reserve, the average family of color saw their net worth fall 7 percent, to $17,000 in just six years, while an average white family’s net worth grew 37 percent, to $120,900, in the same period. (pg 2)”

Lastly, I would like to point out I am on neither side of the argument, I just thought it would be thoughtful to show that there is such a thing as minority privilege, thought it’s not as prominent.