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Race and Wealth
White Privilege and Wealth Privilege
No, they’re not the same thing
My white privilege isn’t what people seem to think it is.
Let me explain.
We all have different forms of privilege.
I am never afraid of the police shooting me during a traffic stop. That right there is some powerful white privilege. I also never worried that I’d be judged unfairly for my race when renting an apartment or applying for a job. I’ve never felt store security was looking at me suspiciously. When accessing medical care, I’ve never been accused of trying to get pain medication for non-legitimate purposes.
All those things are significant. I’ve heard plenty of people of color tell stories about having been treated quite differently. I’m grateful that I don’t face those issues, and I’m outraged that anyone else does.
What I don’t have is wealth privilege.
My family lived in a trailer until I was in junior high. My mom made a lot of my clothes when I was younger. Others were hand-me-downs. I never visited a big city or a beach until I was an adult. I got through college by working multiple jobs and eating a lot of expired food I was able to get for free.
