What Role Does White Privilege Play In Society

White Privileges and the role they play in American Society

Our daily lives are affected by race whether we know it or not. We all see the world through a racial lens that colors our world, African American, Caucasian, Asian, Mexican, or other. I came across an article online entitled “Black Sons, White Privilege, Ferguson, and the Gospel” which is written by Caucasian Pastor Jeremy Haskins. Haskins has three sons, two of whom are African American. He talks about a time, he went into a children’s recreational dwelling, taking his sons with him, he took his African American son in and tried to sign him in, but he was denied admission because of the color of his skin (even though that was his adopted
son it didn’t matter). However a short while later, one of the Pastor’s Caucasian sons walked in (he wasn’t on the party list), without being asked to sign in, not even a second glance.
The Pastor and his wife do not want to believe that white privilege still exists but, unfortunately after those conditions and the current situation going on in Ferguson, MO, they may have too. As the father of two African American sons, Pastor Haskins, has (unfortunately) witnessed firsthand how differently his boys are treated because of the color of their skin. He and his family unlike many have to live everyday of their lives wondering why we still live in such a racially divided nation. Also different from most Pastor Haskins, has not only previously experienced racial tension but he’s articulated it and made a practice of blaming it on his childhood. But somehow he manages to overcome this, and make peace with his social injustices. He continues to go and discuss how the shooting in Ferguson has infuriated him in more ways than just the fact that a young unarmed African American boy was killed, but because of the response that African Americans and Caucasians alike are having. Instead of retreating to the church and acknowledging their antagonism towards one another and working to resolve the racial difficulties we are having
here in the U.S, they have turned to looting, rioting, and protesting. The fact the Ferguson Police Dept. has used the media to repeatedly misinform the public with false information is not only severely angering, Pastor Haskins, but it has caused him to weep for his two African American sons. But what’s really pissed him off is that the Evangelicals say things like “Michael Brown was a thug, he was drunk, etc…” and these are supposed to people of the church. Speaking on angering, Pastor Haskins, the one thing that has completely and utterly frustrated him is that the Evangelicals are “offended” that the people say white privilege still exists. They do not think that they are receiving any special privileges, they honestly think that everyone is treated the same way. That response has led to the, Pastor believing that the Evangelicals will agree to anything racial or not to avoid the thought of even having to side with African American males and females alike. The Pastor goes on to say that, it is rather easy to deny the privileges and go with the flow, if you are a Caucasian American yourself and enjoying the privileges. Not many people will understand what is like to be at the receiving end of the pole when it comes to racism and white privilege. I can relate to Pastor Haskins, growing up as a biracial child, with an African American father and a Caucasian mother, I got looks, I was talked about, I wasn’t allowed to do things that other kids got to do. There was even a time in Kindergarten (I remember this because I am reminded of it every single day), I was sent to the end of the line in my class, because “the Caucasian kids had priority over me, the other African Americans, and minorities in my class”. It’s sad to see that it has been over 50 years since the Civil Rights Movement, and here we are today in 2014, and Caucasians still have their “White Privilege”.