Hi friends! I know that things have been difficult lately. A lot of you are growing, learning, and changing- and I am so proud of you! With all of the new information that is being taken in, you may feel uncomfortable. This is a good thing!! Growth begins outside of your comfort zone, so congratulations!

One thing that I’ve seen a LOT of confusion about (and done research on) is the term privilege. Specifically white privilege. I’ve heard, “But I’ve not had an easy life and I’m white! I grew up in the foster care system! I’m gay! I was abused!” But did you know that there are many different types of privilege?? No one is discounting your trauma by talking about white privilege. Let’s break it down.

First off, let’s talk about racial or ‘white’ privilege.

Privilege is something that you are born into or cannot control. Racial privilege means that you were born into a race (white) that has been seen as superior for decades. If you are a person of color (Latinx, Asian, African American), you will face certain challenges just because of your skin tone. If you don’t have this privilege, you are at risk for (among many other things) receiving inadequate medical care, job discrimination, police brutality, and racial stereotypes.

Next, let’s unpack socioeconomic privilege

This actually has nothing to do with your skintone (even though they sometimes can go hand in hand). Socioeconomic privilege is saying that you were born into a family that had stable housing, health insurance, and you felt safe in your community. You were born and had parents that loved/wanted you. Someone who does not have socioeconomic privilege may have experienced…

-Homelessness, Foster Care, Transitional Housing, Food Insecurity, Domestic Violence, Poverty, Parental Substance Abuse, etc.

Heterosexual Privilege

This means that you have never felt unsafe because of your sexuality. And no, your sexuality is not a choice. If you can hold hands with your partner without worrying about what people would do, or have always been legally able to marry your spouse, then you have experienced this type of privilege. Even if they have family or friends that are supportive, heterosexual relationships have been given advantages that gay relationships have not. (Ever had someone tell you that you’re an abomination just because you love someone? Ever been disowned by your family because you were courageous enough to come out? Or kicked out of church for bringing your same sex partner?). This also reaches to all of the LGBTQ+ community, not just those that identify as homosexual.

Gender Privilege

I’m about to trigger a LOT of conservative men on this one, but honestly it needs to be said. Men, through history and to this day, have been given advantages over women. Think about how long it took for women to be able to vote. Or get birth control without their husband’s consent (yes! it’s still a thing!), or how we are paid less than men simply because of our gender identity. In most cultures, women are seen as the weaker sex and are expected to submit to our husbands, male bosses, and meet the needs of others without hesitation. If you don’t believe me, ask your female friends if they’ve ever been made to feel less than because they are female. Or think about the times that your female friends have asked you to walk them to their car because they don’t feel safe?

And One More Main One: Religious Privilege

Are you able to easily find a place of worship for your religion? Do you feel a positive connection with your community and your religion? If you said yes, then you have experienced religious privilege. People who may not have this privilege in the United States may be Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. “But Christians get persecuted too!” Yes. Absolutely we do. But can we also accept that in North Carolina there are Christian churches on almost every corner, while there are only approximately 52 mosques in the state? Being able to have access to a place of worship, no matter what your faith, is a privilege. Being able to wear a religious garment (ahem, a hijab) without persecution is a privilege.

One Last Point:

I have only brushed upon the main types of privileges in this post. There are many different types of privilege, but I chose these because they are the most common ones asked about in my experience.

It is okay to feel uncomfortable and sit with your privilege for a while. When I first started having conversations, I almost felt guilty for things that I was born into or could not control. That is NOT the point of this post. This post is to inform and breakdown different issues so that you can more easily understand White Privilege and the Black Lives Matter movement. Whether you are black, white, asian, mixed, latinx, gay, straight, muslim, christian, atheist, or all of the above: I stand with you. I will love you. I am committed to advocating for you in the most affective ways I can.

Love People. Period.