Recognizing white privilege

I was struggling with expressing what “white privilege” and “systemic racism” mean to my neighbours and community members only to open the October issue of Canadian Family Physician and follow the thread back to Dr Dhara.¹ I identify as a white heterosexual cis female. My contribution to this discussion is as follows*:

It was embarrassing to watch the RCMP commissioner stumble over the presence of systemic racism but, sad as it might be, she might have the questionable benefit of innocence. While she recognized the presence of racism in the police force, like many white people, she has had no idea what systemic racism was.

Indeed, we are taught to see racism in individual or group acts of violence against persons or people of colour. When pressed, we might find a policy or principle that subtly discriminates (eg, facial recognition software). This narrowness allows us to ignore the implications of membership in the dominant white race, an automatic privilege that our skin colour bestows upon us.

As soon as the notion of white privilege is mentioned, white people deny it—they have an honest disbelief that this type of conferred privilege exists. “I worked hard for what I have,” they say. “I do not have any privilege. I am mortgaged for everything I have.” Some will go so far as to claim that people of colour “have more advantages than they do” or that they have more protection under law.

White privilege is like that. If you are white and do not think that you are privileged because of the colour of your skin, you likely do not know what systemic racism is. So, of course, you cannot know what white privilege is.

When my friend and I became lost in the countryside, I had no fear of driving into a farmyard, getting out of the truck, and walking to the door. I even opened the porch door and went to the open door beyond. I did not hesitate. I could be certain that no one would meet me with a gun. My Cree friend did not feel the same confidence.

When I go into the bank to negotiate a loan, I can expect that the person across the table will likely be my colour and understand my culture and my predicament. My people are usually still the heroes in Canadian history books. As I am a WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant), my culture is reflected by the place names on maps. My whiteness has meant that no patient has ever refused to have me treat them because of the colour of my skin. It means that practically never have I been submitted to the beady eyes of the store walker. I can be certain that police have never stopped me because of my race.

The sense of belonging to the human circle should not be a privilege to a few. It should be an unearned entitlement of every human being. At present, as only a few have it automatically, it is both an unearned advantage and, in fact, confers unwarranted dominance.

To change the system, we cannot merely disapprove of white privilege, although it helps to have key individuals change their attitudes. The first giant step toward change is admitting that it exists. This is why, for the police to shed racism, it is important for the RCMP commissioner to admit that systemic racism exists—and for her to do that, she must recognize the presence of white privilege.

It serves us well to be oblivious of white advantage if we are white—by being oblivious, we can maintain the myth of our meritocracy, and the myth that democratic choice is equally available to us all. People of colour might tell us about white privilege but until we become sufficiently aware of it and willingly—and humbly—give up the unwarranted advantage that white privilege confers, systemic racism will continue.

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