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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
by: Peggy McIntosh

White Privilege, what a difficult topic to understand. People don't like to talk about it, hear about it, or think about it...if you're white. Arguments on white privilege become one sided, because white people don't really BELIEVE there is an argument. One of my favorite things in the world is Slam Poetry, because it takes the things we don't like to talk about, the things that would normally make people uncomfortable, and it turns it into an art form. This article reminded me of that, so i figured what better way then to link it to a few of my favorite Slam Poems, and a few that I have found when looking for said poems.

There are a seemingly limitless number of Slam Poems about white privilege, but I have narrowed it down to three.

1.) "Cuz He's Black" by Javon Johnson

In Johnson's poem, he discusses the struggles his nephew will face growing up. He talks about how he is already afraid of the cops at a young age. He knows to keep his hand slow and his intentions clear when reaching for his wallet in his pocket. He understands that he is the lesser and that he is seen as the bad guy, even if he didn't do anything bad. This is exactly what McIntosh tells us that we are avoiding seeing. We don't realize that we have privileges because its our everyday life. We aren't taught to be afraid of the cops, even if we haven't done anything wrong. We don't think twice about reaching for our wallet, because we have nothing to be afraid of.

2.) "The Whitest Thing" by Adam Falkner

Falkner talks about how we try to understand and be a part of cultures that are not ours. We dabble in the positives of other cultures, ignore the racism towards them and instead unknowingly flaunt our superiority by stealing their "blackness" and pretending it is our own. We, however, are able to turn it on and off. We are able to pretend we are black if we want, but just the same we are able to be white. That is our privilege, because we can get the best of both worlds, and someone who is black can not pretend to be white. You can tell that Falkner is very aware of the privilege that he has, and he acknowledges that. He is privileged because he has a choice.

3.) "1-800 White Man Privilege Hotline" by Denice Frohman

In this Poem, Frohman discusses the different ways that white men are privileged over other races. I enjoyed this one, because it was about more than one race, and not just black people, and it hits on gender privileges as well. She talks about how white people are favored in the workplace, while hailing cabs, getting loans, or in situations with police. One of my favorite things about this poem was the end where she says "Please do not ask our white men about their privilege, they have no idea they HAVE it!" This is exactly what McIntosh's article is about. White people ignore the fact that they have privilege, until it is pointed out to them. But when and IF it is pointed out to them, they will deny that they have it.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

This article and these poems use the same idea as Delpit's theory that the people with power are often unaware of the power that they have. How are we able to make the change if the people in power aren't aware that they have the power? Even if they were aware, how would we be able to persuade them to give up the power that they were born into? Is it possible to be able to get rid of this power entirely or has it been too engrained into our minds that the white people in America have the privilege?