#Invisible knapsack full#
#Invisible knapsack free#

It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LGBTQ problem there. In an interview, Crenshaw states “Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. We cannot ignore those intersections.”Ĭoined by Columbia Law School professor and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, the word “intersectionality” is a way to help explain the oppression of African-American women. “Intersectionality is important income inequality intersects and compounds with race. “Privilege is sometimes labeled as ‘advantages,’ which is spun in a positive light that doesn’t show the people that the privilege harms.” “I sent this article along to my parents, because it’s a good baseline.” I can choose blemish cover or bandages in ‘flesh’ color and have them more or less match my skin.Ĭoncluding that white privilege “opens many doors for white whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us,” the task is upon white people to use the unearned advantages and arbitrary power to dismantle and reimagine society and institutions that historically have harmed Black people and people of color. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.Ĥ6. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race.Ĥ1. McIntosh goes on to list examples of daily instances of white privilege, such as:Ģ5.

White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks.” Further, McIntosh states “I began to understand why we are just seen as oppressive, even when we don’t see ourselves that way,” acknowledging that a greater, constant, consistent awareness of white privilege is necessary in dismantling the structures that uphold (and are upheld by) that privilege.

#Invisible knapsack free#

Please feel free to engage with us in the comments section of this post!Ĭonceptualized within the essay, the author suggests “I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious. The following is a loose recap of our discussion, with paraphrasing and direct quotes from staff where appropriate.

#Invisible knapsack full#

The full text of this piece can be obtained from the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women for a nominal fee.

The excerpted essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh (found here) was circulated amongst our staff for general discussion. Reading materials regarding a specific topic are provided before each meeting so staff may read, think, and formulate comments and questions for the group discussion.

This is the second recap of our ethics discussion from our weekly staff meeting. Staff Reading: “White Privilege – Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh