Kozol/McIntosh

The quote in Peggy McIntosh’s paper “White Privilege”

“I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege as males are taught not to recognize male privilege”

forced me to read it over and over again. Questioning, what does it mean? Am I like that? But what it white privilege? McIntosh listed twenty six different privileges that she as white female has. But I recognized that a lot of them stated “...most of the time...” or “…not all the time…” so is that really a privilege and she asked this too if it is misleading. And I truly think it is.

According to thefreedictionary.com/privilege, it states, “A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. Such an advantage, immunity, or right held as a prerogative of status or rank, and exercised to the exclusion or detriment of others.” So do we really have Privilege, I don’t think so from my perspective but from someone else they might think so.
I asked my boyfriend what he thought and he had this to say…

“It’s a strong stereo type of societies due to recent and long term history. White males have always held the position of power in society. Not sure why but it’s always been that way.”

Another article that hit home to me was Jonathan Kozol’s piece called “Amazing Grace.” For a missionary worker, I can more than ever relate to what he was talking about. Children are constantly surrounded by illness and death; I’ve seen it, and still dream about it. Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. MSC began in 1978 as a home for abandoned and handicapped children on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica. Through the years Mustard Seed Communities have spread across the Caribbean nations and recently into Africa, building additional facilities in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Zimbabwe. Committed to providing not just for our children but uplifting the marginalized and forgotten of society as well, MSC has involved itself in numerous outreach programs. The majority of communities are dedicated to the care of children with serious physical and mental disabilities such as Down’s syndrome, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. MSC also cares for children affected by HIV/AIDS and pregnant teenagers. Father Gregory Ramkissoon, a Diocesan priest in Kingston, Jamaica is the Founder of MSC. He is described as a man who is deeply spiritual and caring, with boundless energy and charisma. No obstacle is too great for him when it comes to helping where ever there is a need (MSC WEBSITE UNDER MISSION)…here is a link to the website
http://www.mustardseed.com/site/PageServer?pagename=mustard_seed_index