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For White Participants
Many white students and participants from the
United
 States and elsewhere
who
come to our sites experience
being a numerical
minority for the
first time in their lives.
Nonetheless, while less than 10% of the
host population may look like them, that small group is the most
dominant group in terms of political,
economic, and social capital
due to the legacy of European conquest and colonization. As a
result, white students, and U.S. citizens and residents in general,
are given inordinate amounts of power and privilege whether they
want this or not and whether they recognize this as such or not.
While the experience of being a numerical minority and having that
pointed out to you on a regular basis may be uncomfortable, it is
important for you to
 recognize that you will be given power and
privileges that you can choose not to exercise. For example, there
may be times where you will be allowed or even invited to move to
the front of a line because of the color of your skin and the color
of your passport. You may not even be aware when this is happening,
which is why we want to alert you to it in advance and ask you to be
extra careful about not inadvertently participating in or supporting
practices that are racist and classist.
For example, in Mexico there have been times when a few white
students have attended clubs that are known for their racist and
classist practices. When defending their behavior, the students
said they had a right to do whatever they wanted during their free
time. However, students of color who were part of the program felt
incredibly offended and betrayed that their peers and supposed
friends would knowingly frequent places that would discriminate
against them and against their Mexican host families. In addition,
white students have sometimes been oblivious to the pain that
students of color experience when they are confronted with racial
and ethnic stereotypes in Mexico. For example, one former
Asian-American student wrote in paper:
My eyes have been painfully forced open to realize that I am
different than most people in this program because I am Asian. I
feel I have to defend myself every time I hear people saying Chinese
or Japanese person, or when people ask where I am from and I say
that I live in the U.S. and people give me weird looks. I am getting
tired of feeling that I must defend or explain myself every time
this happens. I am pointed and singled out by the Mexican population
here. I have equated different as being bad and then I feel ashamed
and embarrassed about myself. I just want to hide and pretend that I
am just like everyone else, Caucasian. In this way, I have been
colonized and conquered into American society and culture.
Therefore, as you prepare to participate in one of our programs, we
encourage you to think about your power and privilege as a white
U.S. citizen or resident. We trust that you will want to be aware
of these issues and to serve as an ally to others rather than
abusing your power and privilege.
Further Readings on Anti-Racism
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