African-American History Month and White Privilege

As I am sure you are aware, February is African-American History Month in the United States. This is the time of year when most schools will present some program to their students discussing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and maybe Rosa Parks. However, there are many unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and many contributions made by Blacks historically, that impact our society today.

Often, the majority culture doesn't really understand why it is so important that minorities receive special recognition. As a white female myself, it is difficult for me to understand and perhaps even harder to explain but I think it's important so I want to give it my best shot.

When people of the majority culture look for examples of success, it is easy to find other members of the majority culture dominating that area. Up until recently, every one of our American presidents was Caucasian. The House of Representative and Senate are dominated by Whites. This has the political power resting with the majority culture. When you look at successful business owners and head of companies, many are Caucasian.

Now, I am not taking away from the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the majority culture. I am simply saying that it is more difficult for young African-Americans to find examples of successful people who look like them who aren't rappers or athletes.

I was at a dinner party recently with about 10 couples who are personal friends of mine. An African-American friend accompanied me and he was the only person of color at the table. Within each couple, at least one of them was a business owner, including myself and my friend. When he gets together with other African-Americans, that isn't as common an experience.

He later asked me how many of those couples know someone close to them who either has substance abuse issues or a family member who had gone to jail. Admittedly, there were two of 20 people there who had a close family member or friend with substance abuse issues and no one who had family who had been in jail. He shared that many of the people he knows who resemble him have friends or family members who have experienced incarceration and/or substance abuse issues.

It is well documented that there is a disproportionate amount of Blacks incarcerated. A Caucasian and an African-American who commit similar crimes often receive different sentences. The Caucasian may get probation, while the African-American may do jail time.

That is why it is so important for African-Americans to learn about their history--to become familiar with successful people who look like they do. The majority culture has things immediately available to them that African-Americans do not.

If I want to trace my family roots back generations, I can do that. My friend who is Black can only go back two generations to his grandparents. This is a part of white privilege. It isn't something Whites ask for; it is simply inherent in our system.

I often hear many Caucasians say things are better now. There isn't any racism anymore. Look, the president of the United States is Black. The truth is Barack Obama looks Black, he is married to a Black woman and he was born to a White woman and raised by his White grandparents.

Are things really better in this country? Yes and No. I believe there are many Caucasians who support equality. They are not consciously racist and the very thought of treating someone differently based on their skin color is abhorrent to them.

On the other hand, because there are many places still in the United States that are segregated by choice, many times the majority culture does not have day-to-day interactions with people of color. They may work together but go home to separate environments and cultures. When this separation exits, it is common to develop a discomfort around people who are different simply because of a lack of exposure. Often this discomfort can be perceived by the minority culture as evidence of racism.

Another issue that still exists is the formal and informal systems in the United States are inherently racist. This doesn't mean that the individuals that comprise the system support racism. It simply means that we are implicit partners based on the privilege most of us don't even know we have.

In order for this trend to be equalized, the majority culture must begin to see how privilege asserts itself in the systems currently in place and do whatever it can to correct the inequities. Minority culture can help by first realizing many individuals want to make things different and then being willing to share their experiences to help educate the majority culture to what it is like being a member of the existing systems.

Working together in a spirit of acceptance, inclusion and cooperation will create the changes we are seeking as the only race-the human race.

About the Author:
Kim Olver, MS, NCC, LPC is public speaker, trainer, author and consultant. She has done diversity consulation with social service agencies, educational institutions, corporations and the MBA. She delivered the keynote address on diversity for a US military conference. For more information about diversity check out her book, Leveraging Diversity at Work.