I am a white, American, heterosexual female. The only more ideal human body I could have received upon birth would have been a male body, though with the way our country is progressing, I don’t personally believe that living as a female in 21st century America is all that difficult.
I was given a gift from the time of birth, simply because of the body I was born into.
I’m a high school English teacher. Every day, my students must write journal entries about a variety of topics and questions that I pose to them. Working in an urban school, I’m sometimes taken aback by my students’ journal entries since their upbringing and surroundings differ so much from my own, having grown up in a small, suburban, middle to upper class town in Connecticut.
Growing up with a single mom, we had our fair share of struggles, but they still seem so insignificant compared to some of the obstacles facing my students.
On one particular day, I gave my students a journal prompt to write about the things that they fear.
I had multiple students who wrote that their biggest fear was being punished for a crime that they did not commit.
Having grown up as a white American, this fear has never even crossed my mind. Sure, there is corruption in the world, but I have never been afraid that someone would charge me with a crime that I am not guilty of committing. We live in America, after all, a nation founded on liberty and justice for all.
So what, then, is so different about my students?
Namely, their races. Unfortunately, because of the bodies they were born into, some of my students are not unreasonable in their fear of a false conviction. Just because of their appearance, many people will make assumptions about them, and they are aware of that fact. I’m not teaching the innocent elementary school students who are still naive to these issues. I teach 17 and 18 year old high school seniors who have experienced quite a bit in their lives. They see the world around them; they know that this fear is not unfounded.
On the news lately, there has been one story after another about inmates who were finally released from prison or even death row since their innocence was found. In the past few months, I have only seen this occur with black males.
We publish these stories in the media and label them successes. Yay, another innocent prisoner was released! Our justice system is doing its job, realizing and correcting its mistakes.
But why are there so many of these mistakes?
There are people who have been released from prison after 20 years of incarceration. Yes, they may initially feel relief and excitement, but I’m not sure if that’s the most fitting long-term reaction.
What about the anger towards the justice system that allowed a man to be robbed of 20 years of his life? Oops. He was innocent. We’ll send him on his way with some money, and he’ll at least be happy to be out of his jail cell. Even if his criminal record is removed, how will he find a job with a blank resume? What about the families and children who are being raised with parents who they know are sitting in jail cells because of their skin color rather than their crime (or lack thereof)?
And why do I keep seeing these mistakes among the black prisoners?
Part of the problem is that they’re found guilty before they even open their mouth in a court room. They’re guilty from the moment prosecutors and jurors lay eyes on them.
Sure, it’s the year 2016, and we’ve come a long way from the days of segregation, but that doesn’t mean that the mindset of the American public has changed.
I’m not saying that I am free from all prejudice. We all have our own preconceived notions and prejudices. But it is such a shame to know that my 17 and 18 year old students are already afraid of being wrongly convicted. Others are afraid of police brutality. This is their reality.
This is the America in which we live.
The America where white skin still reigns supreme above all else.
The America where, just because of my appearance, I will not be followed by the eyes of storekeepers who are assuming that I may try to shoplift.
We can try to convince ourselves that our country is fair and that our justice system does a good job of putting the actual criminals into jail cells, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.
We live in a time when white privilege is still an easy ticket to success. Sure, people of a minority background can and do achieve the same success as us, but it’s like we white folks have been given the fast pass.
We jump right onto that amusement park ride while we pass everyone else who is still standing on that long line. They may eventually reach the front and find their own success, but it takes a bit longer and a bit more effort.
I worked hard for the things that I have, but I don’t think that I can deny the fact that my white privilege probably helped. Had I grown up in an inner city as a black female, things would have shifted significantly.
So I guess I’m grateful for my white privilege because I have attained success in my life, but at the same time, I am completely ashamed by it and I sincerely wish that this wasn’t the reality in which I lived.
It’s unfair. But I guess that’s what we all realize as we grow older. Life simply isn’t fair.
Peppermintfrost 