White Privilege

White Immunity — A different take on white privilege

The phrase "white privilege" can evoke a variety of emotions and opinions, including defensiveness. When this term is used, responses often include, "How am I privileged?" or "I worked extremely hard to get where I am. I earned it." But white privilege is NOT the suggestion that everything a White person has accomplished wasn't earned, or that White people haven't struggled throughout their lives. The problem with "white privilege" is that it centres around the individual and centres around whiteness rather than focusing on the markedly different experiences that people of colour endure.

"White immunity" is a different way to understand white privilege, one that evokes empathy and understanding. White people receive social inoculation from racial oppression. The term "white immunity" looks holistically at society to examine how the most marginalized individuals are being treated and asks the question, "How is my experience different from that of people of colour?" Racism isn't about an individual; rather it is a system of advantage based upon race in which white people are immune to historically racist systemic and structural barriers.

by Dr. Lindsay Bridgland