What turns so many people off to the idea of white privilege? Why have we as a young generation been afraid to question how we are implicated in the -ism's that hurt so many? We must question ourselves. There is a white institution that has naturalized a culture vested in whiteness and is represented through all forms of society. The normative ideas of society leave no room for people of color and their experiences. Because of the power of the institution, people of color are stereotyped through damaging images and sayings.
I know we tend to get frustrated and feel that race allows people to blame all the negative experiences attached to their lives to racism, and people of color find ignorant comments from whites unnerving. But, we must see this as an opportunity to learn and understand that the roots of racism and white privilege are forever linked.
The AU community is not excluded from the nature of racism. Feelings that we understand white privilege are not enough. We must hold ourselves accountable and push to create a unified campus environment.
How can I change? Simply put, we need to become allies. If we want to work against forms of oppression, we must learn to turn towards humanity and have compassion. This only works when we can identify and operate from our truth. We must be honest. As Alice Walker once said, "We are the ones that we have been waiting for." We cannot lead by excusing the obvious ways we are controlled by oppression. Operating in silence, turning a blind eye and taking paths of least resistance are ways in which we are controlled. We must work outside of the elitism of higher education and get back to the concern of people's well being and live in the ideas that I am my brothers or sisters' keeper.
Maxine Ariot Senior, CAS Building Community
