WHAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE?
Speaking via video link to pupils at her former high school in Los Angeles, the Duchess of Sussex, 38, told them, ‘The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing, because George Floyd’s life mattered.’
I’m glad the area we live in means you’ve been treated as equals at school, and in our talks about racism, you tell me you haven’t had experience of it. But the death of George Floyd shows it is still a massive issue, not just in America but here, too.
I worry that you won’t be able to walk down the street with your hoods up without being stopped by police.
I worry that because Finn and Lila look mixed race but Caelan does not, you’ll be treated differently in the future. I want you all to have the same choices, but I’m fearful this might not always be the case.
If you get a good job and earn enough to buy a fancy car, I worry you’ll be pulled over and asked to prove how it’s come into your possession. I worry that the area you choose to live in might not be accepting of your skin colour. Will you be safe in your beds at night? Will you be able to walk home without incident?
Recently, your dad and I have talked to you about what people are fighting for and why the cause is so important. I know you understand, and when you all agreed to take a knee with me, outside our home, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, I was so proud of you all.
I hope this is the start of something momentous, but change isn’t going to come from politicians and their policies. It’s going to come from the ground up. By calling out racism loudly whenever you encounter it, everyone can do their bit.
Maybe your future will start to look a little different and your world equal. As a mother, that is what I wish for.
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Runnymede is the UK’S leading independent race-equality think tank. It generates evidence and provides solutions to tackle structural racism in the UK.
White privilege is defined by advantages, often invisible, that a white person possesses because of their race.
This doesn’t mean you don’t experience hardship, discrimination or a struggle of some kind. It just means you haven’t been discriminated against on the basis of your skin colour.
GET EDUCATED
Below are five examples of privilege that a white person might experience on a daily basis, without even really realising.
I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children’s magazines featuring people of my race.
I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their daily physical protection.
✱ For the full list, see Peggy Mcintosh’s essay
See racialequitytools.org/ resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf ✱ For more information on Black Lives Matter, visit blacklivesmatter.com
Slippers, £8, George at Asda
Green & Black’s organic tasting collection, £12.99, Tesco
Top, £35, sizes xs-2xl, Autograph at M&S