Title: Understanding Race and Privilege
Headings: Understanding Race and Privilege
Understanding Race and Privilege
Background Information
The Role of Privilege
The Effect of Privilege in Schools
Self-Reflection Questions
Suggestions for Talking to Others About Privilege
Start by discussing how privilege looks in our society and which groups have privilege and which do not.
Stress that privilege is relative to each individual’s lived experience.
Recognize that having privilege does not require feeling guilty for your privilege.
Determine and offer ways to challenge systems of privilege and oppression in your own life.
Conclusion
Resources
Related NASP Resources
Online
Books
References

Content: For those who routinely benefit from privilege, the challenge is to not quickly deny its existence. It is important to recognize that privilege is a part of the reality that helps some while it impedes others’ experiences. For example, although being female or a person of color does not necessarily directly determine an outcome, these characteristics can easily and quickly make these individuals less likely to be hired, recognized, or rewarded in a variety of situations. Privilege is problematic (a) when it skews our personal interactions and judgments and (b) when it contributes to or blinds us to systemic barriers for those who do not possess a certain privilege, thereby creating or perpetuating inequity. In American culture, certain groups have the privilege of operating within settings—through no effort on their part—that are more conducive for their success, while others—through no fault of their own—find themselves in settings that make success more difficult (Miranda, Boland, & Hemmeler, 2009). Again, this concept refers to any advantage that is unearned, exclusive, and socially conferred. For example, with White privilege, White people are generally assumed to be law abiding until they show that they are not. On the other hand, people of color, in particular African Americans and Latinos, are routinely assumed to be criminals or potential criminals until they show that they are not (Johnson, 2006). The Effect of Privilege in Schools
In schools, privilege-based bias plays out in many ways but perhaps most acutely in discipline. Macintosh (2014) refers to the disproportionate disciplinary outcomes in schools and the importance of evaluating implicit bias in the context of vulnerable decision points that are highly susceptible to individuals’ unconscious bias.