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
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
- White Privilege Shapes The U.S.
- Center for the Study of White American Culture
- Challenging White Supremacy (CWS)
- White Privilege Conference
- United Nations Cybershoolbus Racism and Anti-Racism Resources
- Joyce Dowling Anti-Racism Resources
- Resist Racism. The Hope Site
- EdChange - professional development, scholarships and activism for diversity, social justice and community growth.
