May Reflections

Letter to the Editor from Stephan McLaughlin. Edited version appeared in the Commercial Appeal on April 19.

Re: My White Privilege Conference 10 Experience,

As a great grandson of E. H. Crump, I was probably one of the most politically, economically, white, male privileged babies born in Memphis in 1953. If anyone in town could have been a poster boy for the White Privilege Conference held here recently, it was me. Despite the fear invoked by a conference so directly named for a challenging subject, I have embraced the idea of privilege as a reality worthy of my attention and vulnerability. So I attended the 10th Annual White Privilege Conference held here last week, the first time it has come to the South.

Admittedly, there were certain parts of my conference experience that I found very difficult, but none that were not worthy of the effort. After years of healthy relationship work, I have come to realize that my greatest learning often comes from the lessons that I resist the most. In the case of white privilege, it appears to be another, deeper piece of the racism puzzle. For me, this hidden layer must be uncovered and to some extent undone, if I hope to be the person I aspire to be and to help create the kind of community in which I want to live and to bring up my family.

So what is white privilege? My current understanding is that, simply stated, it is the unearned benefits, advantages, and choices I receive as a result of my skin color being white. Tim Wise, author, speaker and guide for white people trying to understand this concept, reminds us that “White privilege is not about white people, it is about whiteness.”

It is about a system, in which white people, who are not negatively impacted by the system, have trouble actually seeing the system itself and their role in it. White privilege is like a comfort zone bubble in which white people can live without realizing how the bubble protects and maintains their privilege. My experience is that this blindness is a form of ‘denial,’ and for me, required a ‘spiritual awakening’ and a certain grace to see, so I could begin to make different choices in my life.

The conference was an excellent place for me to gain a better understanding of the meaning of unearned privilege, and how it causes many forms of suffering in those people who do not have it. There was plenty of quantitative evidence to support the belief that people who are not white have a different experience of my white America than I do. The average value of household assets, the low numbers of African Americans, women and other people of color that hold various positions of responsibility and power in business and government, or the number of nonwhite faces on our money are all indicators that the disparities exist and continue.

Ultimately, as a straight, white, economically, and male privileged person, for me White Privilege is more opportunity than problem. As a lifelong learner and someone who aspires to live a more spiritually centered life, seeking to understand all destructive ‘isms’ and their constructive counterparts is not a new path for me. This path is consistent with my journey as a Christian, an Episcopalian, a Memphian, a Southerner, and yes, as a white man.

The conference and the work of understanding and undoing white privilege and all ‘isms’ is the way to a different, better world where community is something that is created by awareness of difficult issues and a willingness to deal with them openly and honestly. This is a path to Dr. King’s vision of ‘Beloved Community’ where we as a people can strive to bridge our differences with integrity and to communicate with authenticity. This progress is that foundation on which Memphis as a city can continue its growth as a place where many people value, welcome and affirm diversity and continue to try to relate to each other with love and respect.

Stephan McLaughlin Jr.
HEAL
Mankind Project