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September 13, 2014
SWK207
“White Privilege: American Reality“
America is the land of the free and the land of opportunity. All men are created equal and can achieve the “American Dream”. These are the kinds of phrases one hears throughout life. Unfortunately, these words are misleading because not everyone has the same opportunity. Court documents from the Dred Scott decision state:
“… people of African-American descent are a subordinate and inferior class that, whether slave or free, remains subject to the authority of the dominant and superior white race.” (Day & Schiele, 2013)
The concept that we live in a land where all people are equal and success is achieved through hard work alone is nothing more than a myth. White Privilege provides a distinct advantage to white Americans over all non-whites simply by virtue of birth. White Privilege is like gravity, everyone feels the effects but you don’t see it.
According to Eduardo Bonilla-Silva most whites believe that racism is less relevant in today’s society. Focus is placed on cultural differences as the reason why some people achieve more success than others. A closer look reveals that this idea still supports the status quo of White Privilege (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). White Privilege is so ingrained in American society that it is virtually invisible (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011). The dominant American social values (Day & Schiele, 2013) while separate are still to some extent an extension of White Privilege. White privilege is the belief in the superiority of whiteness (Day & Schiele, 2013).
The initial “discovery” of America as credited to Christopher Columbus marked the beginning of European colonization of the New World. In the early days there were free Africans that accompanied the colonizers as servants and workmen. The importation of slaves changed the view of Africans as a whole. With slavery came racism. Slaves were inferior to their white owners and we considered no better than animals. The state of Virginia essentially bred slaves like cattle and sold them. Slaves were property. After the Civil War race hatred was encouraged to maintain elite white power (Day & Schiele, 2013). Systematic inequality became the norm (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011)
Inequality in America exists socially, economically, politically, ideologically, and in social control such as law enforcement and the judicial system (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). Non-whites were kept in a subordinate position by exclusion and restriction. White Privilege means that white Americans have access to better education, employment, and housing (Day & Schiele, 2013). Laws were created to keep non-whites segregated and suppressed. The Immigration Act of 1924 detailed that only white immigrants were eligible to apply for citizenship. White Privilege cuts across class lines and makes race the determinant of superiority. An argument by Nell Irvin Painter states “Race is an idea, not a fact” (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011).
White Privilege implies that white is normal and only other people have racial identity (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011). This is how White Privilege remains invisible in American society. White Privilege grants a white American with greater influence, power, and resources. Frances Kendall states that white people make choices that affect everyone but consults no one. This is linked to the concept of Manifest Destiny during colonization.
A part of White Privilege is intergenerational wealth that exists with white Americans. Before the abolition of slavery white Americans were in control and owned most property and societal resources. After slavery white Americans retained that wealth to pass forward. White Americans were given preference for employment thus giving them an advantage of the newly freed-men. A study of 2009 midpoints of wealth among Americans shows the large inequality that exists (Kendall, 2013). A white household has a midpoint of $113,149 while a Hispanic household had a midpoint of $6,325 and lastly a Black household had a midpoint of $5,677. These values are based on total assets minus debts. A typical college education costs on average between 25,000 and 35,000 per year. The lopsided wealth demonstrates that white Americans have more opportunity (Kendall, 2013).
During the course of American history there have been many decisions made that only benefited white Americans. The Indian Removal Action of 1830 moved eastern Native Americans to west of the Mississippi. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave away land west of the Mississippi and Alien Land Laws made sure this land was reserved for white growers. Jim Crow laws starting in the late 19th century made sure the best jobs, schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods were reserved for white people. The Wagner Act of 1935 allowed unions to exclude non-whites thus denying them access to better pay, union protection, and job benefits. The Social Security Act of the same year that guaranteed an income after retirement excluded agricultural workers and domestic servants, two occupations that were predominantly non-white. (Potapchuk, 2005) All of these events combined together create the accumulated benefits of White Privilege.
White Americans have the privilege of not seeing themselves as part of the problem of inequality in American so they don’t need to be part of the solution (Kendall, 2013). Liberalism supports that non-whites are responsible for their own situation. If non-whites, worked harder or made better choices then they too would have better lives (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). Scholars refer to this as blaming the victim (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). White Privilege makes success easier for white Americans to achieve than a non-white American even when economic and social statuses are similar. White Privilege makes being a white American normative (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011). This is the basis for comparison for any non-white American. White Privilege is so ingrained that those benefiting don’t even realize that they do benefit. A white American doesn’t have a fear of the police based on the color of their skin. The ability to navigate in society without fear is an advantage. Knowing you can hail a cab. Knowing you can walk into a store without suspicion. “Whiteness is the national norm, and thus the white majority’s views, practices, and culture are generally seen as normal” (Day & Schiele, 2013).
Paul Kivel wrote an article where he summarized:
“Those with power have many resources for ensuring their view of reality prevails, and they have a lot at stake in maintaining the status quo. They will employ the tactics described above to defend their interests. We must be aware of these tactics and able to counter them. When unchallenged, they can be used to justify further inequality and violence. If we keep our eyes clearly on the power and the violence, we can see that these tactics are transparent attempts to prevent placing responsibility on those who commit and benefit from acts of injustice. Our strongest tools are a critical analysis of who has power and an understanding of the patterns and consequences of present actions and policies.” (Kivel, 2014)

According to Phyllis Day and Jerome Schiele the definition of social work is: “the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to this goal…the professional application of social work values, principles, and techniques to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; and participating in relevant legislative processes.”
The original goal of social work was social intervention such as the reformation of poverty (Day & Schiele, 2013). Understanding White Privilege and how it operates in society would assist the social worker in effectiveness. Social work touches on all the facets of societal inequalities that exist through the invisible influence of White Privilege. Social workers realized that social structures were responsible for poverty (Day & Schiele, 2013) and the influence of White Privilege reinforced the continuance of the inequalities. The “public” continued the status quo of blaming the victim.
The social workers themselves often benefited from White Privilege without realizing it (Kendall, 2013). Now more than ever it is important that social workers learn to recognize that their upbringing and values are not the determinant of the norm. Understanding the reaching effects of White Privilege will allow social workers to have a better connection with the people they help, i.e. non-whites.
White Privilege is what allows white Americans to achieve the “American Dream” and believe that their own hard work made them successful. It’s the luxury of receiving benefits without realizing. Many white Americans benefit from accumulated White Privilege. Something as basic as homeownership has been an established white privilege since the establishment of this country. We do not live in a land of equality and the land of opportunity is arguable. Non-white Americans do not start with the same basic resources as white Americans and thus have to work harder to gain a similar level of success. Until White Privilege is made visible and acknowledged as a reality we can never really make progress towards helping others and improving social structures. Acknowledging White Privilege will allow for the development of new social structures to even the playing field for all Americans and not just those born with a certain skin color.

Works Cited

Bonilla-Silva, E. (2001). White Supremacy and Racism in the Post-civil Right Era. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Day, P. J., & Schiele, J. (2013). A New History of Social Welfare (7 ed.). United States: Pearson Education, In.
Kendall, F. E. (2013). Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships. New York: Taylor and Francis.
Kivel, P. (2014, September 13). Retaining Benefits, Avoiding Responsibility. Retrieved from Paul Kivel: www.paulkivel.com
O'Malley Halley, J., Eshleman, A., & Vjaya, R. M. (2011). Seeing White: An Introduction to White Privilege and Race. United States: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Potapchuk, M. (2005). What is White Privilege? In M. Potapchuk, S. Leiderman, D. Bivens, & B. Major, Flipping the Script: White Privilege and Community Building (pp. 53-67). United Stats: MP Associates. Retrieved from MP Associates: www.mpassociates.com