UNDERSTANDING RACISM AND WHITE PRIVILEGE
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack | Peggy McIntosh (1988)
In this seminal article, Peggy McIntosh introduces the idea of white privilege as "an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was 'meant' to remain oblivious". In it, she lists 50 unearned privileges, including 6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented and 24. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the 'person in charge', I will be facing a person of my race.
White Fragility: Why It’s So hard for white people to talk about racism | Robin DiAngelo (2018)
DiAngelo explores white fragility, ‘defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially’, how these behaviours inadvertently maintain racial inequalities, and how we can move forward.
Andrew Judd - Lessons from a Recovering Racist | TEDxRuakura (2017)
Andrew Judd shares his personal journey, from District Council to Mayor of New Plymouth, and how he questioned long-held beliefs and the attitudes that surround him. Before working to bridge the views of Māori and Pākeha constituents, he had to examine his own attitudes and prejudices.
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together. I want to be free. I want you to be free. And you aren’t free until I am. Spend your privilege, and just when you think you’ve spent enough, spend some more …”
Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist, who prefers to credit the collective: Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s
How abstract mathematics can help us understand the world | Eugenia Cheng | TEDxLondon (2018)
Dr Chang uses mathematics as a fresh and powerful way to explore privilege, how poor white men can struggle to see themselves as privileged and how we can be oppressed and also the oppressor. With a formula which can also be applied more widely, she urges us to work to understand each other with empathy.
What Is White Privilege, Really?
This article on the Teaching Tolerance site examines: Recognizing white privilege begins with truly understanding the term itself.
"White privilege has nothing to do with who you are as a person. It has everything to do with the systematic realities of the world we live in which oppresses people who are black and benefits people who are white at all levels of society" (Rachel Cargle, 2019).
Me And White Supremacy - A Workbook | Layla Saad (2018)
Layla Saad identifies as an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman who strives to be a 'good ancestor'. In 2018, she hosted a 28-day challenge on Instagram #MeAndWhiteSupremacy. She furthered these ideas in her self-guided workbook Me And White Supremacy (2018), which supports people to consider their white privilege and how they might dismantle white supremacy.
The workbook is free - click on the image to download:
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race | Reni Eddo-Lodge (2017)
Based in London, Eddo-Lodge considers race, class, gender and privilege in British culture and beyond.
Eddo-Lodge also has a 9-episode podcast About Race
Confessions of a former racist | Paula Simpson (2019)
"In those online comments, I saw the hatred of immigrants, refugees, Muslims. Under that anger, I saw fear – fear of the unknown. … And I recognized it. Because that had been me."
In this Spinoff blog post, Simpson discusses her South Island childhood and how moving to India helped her to reconsider her own preconceptions and prejudices.
Confronting Racism | TED Radio Hour (2019)
Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo
Dr. DiAngelo describes the most obvious and explicit aspects of racism and white privilege, while going beyond the surface of racism.
The People’s Report on Onine Hate, Harassment and Abuse (2019)
In 2015, the National-led government passed the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA). It states that a digital communication should not:
“...denigrate a person’s colour, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.”
In 2019 the ActionStation asked: has the Act worked? Is the internet free from prejudice and harm? Do people feel safe to participate freely in conversations online? Or is there more work to do? A link to their findings is here Onine Hate, Harassment and Abuse (2019)
Imam Fouda: ‘Hate will be undone, and love will redeem us’ (2019)
In this Spinoff blog post, Al Noor Mosque Imam Gamal Fouda reflects a week on from the Mosque attacks, on how hate will be undone.
"The terrorist tried to tear the nation apart with evil ideology. Instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable. And that the world can see injustice an example of love and unity."