Checking My White Privilege.

Well folks, I really should be doing some work before I go to bed, but instead I found myself reading a particular blog post that got my heart racing...and not for a good reason. My palms were sweaty and I was angry, so guess what I did...I left a comment on the blog! Let's just say I NEVER do this kind of thing - normally I read things and will just fly under the radar simply as an observer rather than a participant, and I'm comfortable with that role. I may share an article or blog post or two, but very rarely do I actually leave a comment on the actual blog post!

However, as I said above, this one left my heart racing and my body shaking and I was angry.

So I wanted to save it to this place and share it with all of you - and I am curious as to what your perspective may be on this white privilege Matt Walsh writes about. Please comment, I encourage it!

Read his post first - it's rather long, but I'm curious as to what your initial response is to his thoughts. I should say he is a young, white male and a reader is calling him privileged. This is his response to that claim.

And this was my response to his post...there was SOO much more I could have written, but who writes even THIS much in a blog post comment?

"I wasn't going to read this...and then I did. And I must say, my heart is racing and I am left baffled and simply angry. I love the Lord with my whole heart, mind and soul, and I believe you do as well Matt. So please know we are coming from the same belief in the same God. Please know that I write this with a deeply humbled heart.

I should start off by saying I am a 31 year old white female who was raised in a privileged home...I can say that now because I've come to recognize my privileges whether it's based on my families financial standings or the color of my skin. I don't deny it anymore.

I used to be just like you in my "privilege" thinking...how dare someone say I'm privileged. They don't know me. How dare they assume such things...affirmative action pah...everything should be equal ...how dare non minorities be discriminated against because of their race.

And 9 years ago...everything changed. I was surrounded by this topic of race and culture for 3 months while in college and guess what folks...I was the minority. The majority of my classmates were non whites, and let me tell you my world as I knew it was rocked. Because I listened to them...I listened to them share about this white privilege that I possessed. And at first I found myself discrediting their thoughts...and trying to justify why they felt a certain way. The reality was...this is how they felt. And who am I to say that those feelings are wrong or invalid. And so I watched them shed tears and bare their hearts. And the things they shared are things I have NEVER dealt with.

Read this to find out more about those privileges, advantages, assets - that I was completely oblivious to.

In your post You write...

"You can’t tell somebody else about their experiences, all you can do is listen when they tell you. But you aren’t listening, are you?"

And when I read this Matt, I thought are you? Are you really listening to this girl, Kira...are you really listening to those you come across who may not be white...have you heard their hearts? Have you asked them this question about privilege?

In your post you ask the question...

"Can you name me one particular right or immunity that I possess and you do not? What is one specific and tangible benefit that white males universally enjoy, while all other people are deprived of it?"

I have an answer for this...it's a silly one, one I personally had never thought of until someone opened my eyes to see it...and it's not specific to white MALES per se, but just white people in general - We can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match our skin.

And I think the thing with benefits is that so many of them we just don't see because we are living into those benefits...they are our norm.

I truly appreciated Joe Beverstein's comment below....thank you for this Joe!

White privilege does not mean that you have it easy if you are white. It simply means that you tend to have certain advantages if you are white (and also male) and live in America. Life is hard for all, but white people in America do tend to have certain advantages (i won't use the "p" word) that minorities don't have. It does not mean that you don't work hard, it does mean that you live in a country that has always given priority to the white race (to say the least).

And with that Matt, I humbly encourage you to listen to the stories of other people. You may be surprised by what they share.

I thank you Matt for posting this and simply reminding me of my benefits and advantages. I leave incredibly humbled tonight. And I praise God for your willingness to write about things that are controversial. I may not agree with your thoughts in this case, but I appreciate you nonetheless."

And with that I signed off...and my heart stopped racing. And I was able to truly let go...

Silent Racism.

This is a video made by a small group for a depth studies class at Quest Church, which is a wonderful church!  I ran across this video ages ago on the Quest website, and just recently searched for it again.  Watch it.  The group mentions that "We need to continually break the silence about racism whenever we can.  We need to talk about it at home, at school, in our houses of worship, in our workplaces, in our community groups."

What are your thoughts on silent racism and stereotypes?  Perhaps you aren't blatantly racist with your words, but what about your thoughts and your actions?  How did the video make you feel?  So many good things to think about...and talk about.  I hope you show this to family and friends, and I REALLY hope this video gets you talking about the things so many people just don't want to talk about!

Book Club.

So I buckled down and joined a book club about a month ago. It was perfect timing and the group is truly wonderful! I just figured I read enough and I am always looking for people to TALK to about the books I have read. So this is a great chance for me to develop some new relationships with some women who have a reading interest just like ME!

The past few weeks people have been asking me how many books I read weekly and how many do I read at a time...and the answer typically is two. And then I started thinking holy cow...thats a TON of books. Good thing I take full advantage of the public institution called the Library or else I would be in serious debt and people would be calling me the book lady instead of the cat lady because id have book instead of cats.

Anyhow...I am beginning to ramble and this post is suppose to be about my new book club and the latest book we read. It just so happened that for their first meeting which was to happen the week after I joined they would be meeting to talk about the delightful book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. As soon as I knew that was the book they were reading I thought ...this is going to be a perfect group, plus I had already read the book.

This book is nothing short of fabulous...or so I thought, but then again I do LOVE historical fiction. My ONLY issue with historical fiction is that the line is soo often blurred between what is actually real and what isn't. I mean how is a girl to decipher between it all...well she has to do a bit of research. Obviously the characters aren't real, but the story of the Japanese and the Chinese in Seattle during World War II is...

So On the corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. READ IT! ALL book clubs should read it...great conversation ensued and I loved stirring the pot a bit by talking about the issue of racial identity and discrimination within the book and how those same issues ensue today!! This book has been reviewed by countless people.

Below I have posted a brief summary of the book that I found on amazon.com....

Henry Lee is a 12-year-old Chinese boy who falls in love with Keiko Okabe, a 12-year-old Japanese girl, while they are scholarship students at a prestigious private school in World War II Seattle. Henry hides the relationship from his parents, who would disown him if they knew he had a Japanese friend. His father insists that Henry wear an "I am Chinese" button everywhere he goes because Japanese residents of Seattle have begun to be shipped off by the thousands to relocation centers. This is an old-fashioned historical novel that alternates between the early 1940s and 1984, after Henry's wife Ethel has died of cancer. A particularly appealing aspect of the story is young Henry's fascination with jazz and his friendship with Sheldon, an older black saxophonist just making a name for himself in the many jazz venues near Henry's home. Other aspects of the story are more typical of the genre: the bullies that plague Henry, his lack of connection with his father, and later with his own son. Readers will care about Henry as he is forced to make decisions and accept circumstances that separate him from both his family and the love of his life.

THE NEXT BOOK ON OUR LIST IS THE LONELY POLYGAMIST...ill let you know how that one goes!