This middle schooler broke down white privilege in a way even us grown ups can understand! Actor and eighth grade student, Royce Mann wrote a poem entitled “White Boy Privilege.” It seems that this young white student has been able to articulate his blessings better then many adults.
As reported by U.S. Uncut, Royce is,
“Calling on other young white males to reject their privilege and actively demand the privileges afforded to them be shared with the rest of society.”
In his poem he declares,
“I have started life at the top of the ladder, while you were born on the first rung… I know it wasn’t us 8th grade white boys who created this system, but we profit from it every day… It’s time to take that ladder and turn it into a bridge.”
In the year that I taught in a suburban school district, one thing surprised me the most.
My top performing students had the hardest time accepting the idea of white privilege. I imagine this is because they know they’ve worked hard to achieve top grades. They know of classmates who have not worked nearly as hard. They believe that admitting to white privilege is essentially dismissing their own hard work, and implying their status was given instead of earned.
This couldn’t be further from the truth!
It’s time more white people admit their privilege. That doesn’t mean you haven’t overcome, it doesn’t mean you haven’t worked hard, and it is not an accusation. It means that whether you wanted to or not, you benefited from a system that was created in your favor.
#WhitePrivilegeMeans filling out applications for a job, loans etc.. and not having it thrown in the trash bc of my name.
— Jordan (@_Jordan_J_) July 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/riverlinesss/status/751934881031086080
#WhitePrivilegeMeans I have some responsibilities—like fighting for quality public education, even though my grandkids already have it.
— The Muser (@TheMuserGR) July 9, 2016
#WhitePrivilegeMeans no matter how hard I try to think of all the ways white privilege has benefited me, I'm missing most of them.
— Keegan Stephan (@KeeganNYC) July 9, 2016
