Title: Privilege
Headings: Privilege
Privilege
W. E. B. Du Bois
"Checking Privilege" as Social Justice
C. Wright Mills
The Privilege Institute

Content: They were given public deference and titles of courtesy because they were white. They were admitted freely with all classes of white people to public functions, public parks, and the best schools. The police were drawn from their ranks, and the courts, dependent on their votes, treated them with such leniency as to encourage lawlessness. Their vote selected public officials, and while this had small effect upon the economic situation, it had great effect upon their personal treatment and the deference shown them. White schoolhouses were the best in the community, and conspicuously placed, and they cost anywhere from twice to ten times as much per capita as the colored schools. The newspapers specialized on news that flattered the poor whites and almost utterly ignored the Negro except in crime and ridicule. ~ W. E. B. Du Bois
"Checking Privilege" as Social Justice
It's now common to hear people telling others to check their privilege. This popular rebuke suggests that identifying and describing privilege is, in part, a project aimed at promoting equality or equity across different social groups. In other words, privilege isn't only discussed in academic circles; it's also discussed by activists as a means of promoting social justice.