White privilege refers to an advantage, right or immunity that is enjoyed by or granted to white persons. Usually, this advantage is beyond the normal advantage of all the others. In addition, it is the advantage that the people of white color enjoy as compared to the non-whites. White privilege is institutionally rather than individually based. One such privilege is having bigger access to resources and power as opposed to the people of color. White people are in the United States are two to ten times likely to access housing loans than the people of color. It is important to point out that, this privilege is not necessarily something that whites deliberately create. Colorism on the other hand refers to the unfairness to African Americans on the basis of their skin tone. This discrimination usually happens within the auspices of their own communities. To reinforce this concept, colorism happens between two people of a similar race, but with different skin colors. This paper responds to salient questions on issues to do with white privilege and colorism.
According to Lund and Collin (2010: 18), some of the common events that occur every day in relation to white privilege are as follows: purchasing or renting a house, selection and recruitment of staff in companies, media representation, shopping without any form of harassment, publications, finding suitable goods as well as services, being a critic of the federal government without reprisal among others. White privilege allows white persons to wear as well as act as they please without undergoing any forms of labeling. When it comes to clothing, whites will tend to “act black” without being labeled as thus, gangsters, lowlife among other labels. Hypothetically, therefore, everyone wants to embrace black behavior, but no one actually wants to be black. The story of Jonathan Ferrell epitomizes white privilege. You are less likely to fall prey of law enforcement officers when you are white. Jonathan Ferrell, after being involved in an accident was shot dead when asking for help. Similar or related incidences happen to people of color on a daily basis in the American society (Watson and Petersen, 2015:99). Being a person of color, especially being a black means that one third of black men will be imprisoned once in their lifetime, this is because the racial minorities are likely to be unfair victims of the criminal justice system as opposed to their white counterparts (Lamb, 2013).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In the United States, white privilege is not the only type of privilege that exists. Male privilege gives women social advantage over the females. Wealth privilege gives the wealthy the advantage to access certain activities as opposed to the less wealthy. Education privilege gives the more educated privilege over the less educated. Other privileges include the last name, stature as well as the beautify privilege. These privileges give the more privileged advantage over their less privileged counterpart in relation to access for resources, goods and services in their specific contexts. Being a leader at the NAACP gives black some sort of “black privilege”. Their status means that they experience less discrimination to access resources due to the positions they hold.
Colorism still exists among the black American community. The origins of colorism can be traced from the dark days of American slavery. During this period, the American blacks and the American whites produced children. However in law, any trace of black ancestry means that one is black (Tharps, 2016). Today, black musicians who promote colorism especially among women are the most celebrated in the United States. African American who are of lighter skin color have always benefited from colorism. This is because, their skin color is whiter than their fellow blacks, giving them some sort of “white privilege” over the “black” Americans. The association of light skinned blacks gives them some form of affiliation to the whites and thus results to a superiority complex among them.
White privilege and colorism, are aspects that create disparities within the American society. These “vices” need to be rationally addressed in order to achieve some form of cohesion to further the advancement of the American Dream.
References
Lamb, J. M. (2013). Black . Place of publication not identified: Authorhouse. Print
Lund, C. L., & Colin, S. A. J. (2010). White privilege and racism: Perceptions and actions . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Print. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=3UKXnM5ioAwC&pg=PA15&dq=examples+of+white+privilege&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=examples%20of%20white%20privilege&f=false
Tharps, L. L. (2016). Same family, different colors: Confronting colorism in America's diverse families . Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press
Watson, B., & Petersen, K. (2015). Under our skin: Getting real about race--and getting free from the fears and frustrations that divide us . Winter Park, FL : Tyndale Momentum. Print.
