I have been so moved and energized by the many conversations around race and the women's movement since the #womensmarch. As I shared with a new FB friend yesterday, which inspired this post, the march has opened up a dialogue that simply has not existed in the social space before: women talking about our stuff. And if the half of us that know Trump is dangerous can find our way through this messy conversation, it will change the world. The conversation itself is revolutionary. We must continue.
So what if we start talking about privilege openly, enthusiastically and strategically? What might happen then?
Everyone who currently is pained, provoked or shut down by the word “privilege”...embrace it, right now, as enthusiastically as you reclaimed “pussy.” (I can barely type the word. Trust me, I know language has power).
Consider this: Privilege is not a scarlet letter. It is a tool. For those of us who accept we have it, let's dialogue and PLAN.
- What privilege is afforded to you institutionally? Socially/Culturally?
- How do you feel about having privilege?
- How can/do you use it for change?
For me, I am institutionally privileged:
- by class (I am well-off and came from an extremely privileged background),
- by education (Stanford grad, third-gen college grad),
- by religion (I am Episcopal),
- by physical ability/mobility, and
- by sexuality (I am straight and cis).
Socio-culturally, I am tall, slender and attractive (I was a runway girl years ago...another diary from years back contextualizes that journey.). It all opens doors and erases friction, glaringly and invisibly. It is real.
I don't feel guilty about or resistant to my privilege; I did not create it. Instead, I feel quite aware of it, responsible for knowing the history of it (particularly in the religious and class spaces) and inspired to use it for good, again particularly to address the evil this institutional privilege has wreaked on those who are not afforded it.
I focus the power of my privilege on my own groups first. I have access and authority in circles that will not welcome or validate those they oppress. Marriage equality was a painful but important battle to enter because, as an African-American woman, issues of basic civil rights touch me to my core. I am still in deep listening and learning mode with transwomen's issues, thanks in no small part to all of the shares I’ve read on PSN.
Class and education are intertwined to me, and I do see education as a gateway to economic freedom. So I primarily use my privilege in this space, guiding first-gen college students into, through and out of four-year universities and mentoring from there. It has been my passion for 30 years, and it has taken many forms in many states. But it is the greatest use of my privilege I have ever experienced.
My question/invitation/request of you is:
How do you turn your privilege into power?
Can we dialogue today about how to put our collective privilege to extraordinary purpose and action?