white privilege – Rev. Elizabeth Durant

Wait, I’m Not “Special” Because I’m White? Thoughts on Internalized Superiority

by lizcourage & vulnerability, entitlement, racial identity, systemic racism, white privilege October 8, 20152 Comments

I was privileged to have a conversation recently with a young Black activist who I deeply admire. I was surprised when she suggested that there is nothing remarkable about the white part of white supremacy. In different cultures around the world, in the past and present, groups have acted in similar ways, creating and maintaining brutal, dehumanizing and oppressive …

Unpacking PC: A Field Guide

by lizwhite privilege February 7, 2012One Comment

Oh no, another sports team mascot debate. I feel exhausted already. However, if we consider this article as a sociological artifact and do a little linguistic analysis, it gets interesting. Painful, but interesting…a field study on the side effects of political correctedness. Ready? Let’s see what we can find. 1) The article argues that the …

Read more “Unpacking PC: A Field Guide”

Everydayness & G*d-in-Everybody

by lizhistory, language, white privilege January 31, 20123 Comments

I had the honor of sharing coffee and conversation today with my dear friend Rev. Melissa Bennett and new friend Dr. Dapo Sobomehin. We talked for a long time. We talked about isolation and the lack of accountability, how white and brown and black people are afraid of one another, how white people think and act …

Free Speech: Only for White People?

by lizentitlement, history, language, white privilege January 17, 20123 Comments

Last week officials at Tucson Unified School District walked into classrooms and took books away from the students. The reason? Books which promote “resentment toward a race or class of people” are not permitted. While comparisons are being made to Nazi Germany, I am thinking instead about the books they didn’t take. The ones that evidently …

White Activism: More Harm than Good?

by lizfeatured, white privilege January 4, 20124 Comments

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been guilty and afraid. Guilty because a few months ago I hurt someone I deeply admire. Afraid because, as a result, I started questioning if my attempts to combat racism are doing more harm than good. It isn’t helpful for me to “address” racism in a way …