By Peggy McIntosh | The National SEED Project
Published in July of 1989
SUMMARY: An excerpt from the paper that started it all. Instead of categorically dismissing intersectionality, read the original paper and come to an opinion yourself. We found it to be compelling and a useful exercise to answer the twenty six questions included in the excerpt.
Keep in mind that different aspects of a person affects privilege, so not all questions are questions of privilege for all people. On a side note, this is why intersectionality is a useful tool to help parse this out.
Also remember that this is a tool – not Biblical text.
KEY QUOTE: “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks.”
DID YOU KNOW?: We have curated numerous other articles on white privilege, take a look.
Read the full article at NationalSeedProject.org
More curated articles on white privilege:
ARTICLE: Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person
Penned from a person who grew up extremely poor the author sympathizes with why poor white people react vehemently against the term white privilege, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that white privilege does exist and perhaps why so many poor white people have a problem with the term is because classism is mixed up…
Read more
ARTICLE: American Christianity’s White-Supremacy Problem
A thorough history of the church and its complicity with racism and white supremacy doctrine. An excellent starting point to learning about the church and racism working hand in hand. The next step would be to read or watch The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby.
Read more
ARTICLE: No racial reconciliation without intersectionality and privilege
Professor Anthony Bradley says white evangelicals have to get comfortable using the terms white privilege and intersectionality to move the conversation beyond platitudes. White people must admit to their privilege not because they need to feel guilty, but to use their privilege for the poor and the oppressed.
Read more
Sunday to Saturday 