Shawn Casselberry's Blog
the white struggle? / 05.30.08, 06:07 PM
An inquisitive senior high school student that my wife and I mentor asked us a provocative question during a tutoring session. She had been taking an African American studies course at school which led us into a deep discussion on the struggle of African Americans throughout the history of America. In the middle of our conversation, she paused, looked at us intently and asked, “What is the white struggle?”
The innocent and direct nature of the question caught me off guard. I’m sure I looked like a deer caught in the headlights. If my thoughts were broadcast, all you would have heard was an amplified, “Uhhhh…” Living in a majority African American neighborhood has a way of reminding you of your whiteness. This was one such moment.
But I was also touched by her question because I knew that she truly wanted to know and understand the pains and struggles of white people in America (this eagerness to know the story and struggle of others is at the heart of racial reconciliation). It was a teachable moment, for all of us. Luckily, my wife was ready.
She explained how many whites had immigrated to America to flee persecution, famine, and poverty. Many white immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe faced discrimination from other whites upon arrival and were treated as second class citizens. As a former Irish Catholic, my wife shared specifically about how many white Catholics were treated badly because they did not belong to the white Protestant majority.
She also shared how the creation of race and whiteness led many people to lose their cultural heritage. The “melting pot” phenomenon (which originally referred only to European cultures) caused whites to abandon their former cultural identities and practices in order to assimilate and receive the privileges of a united white race. So instead of being German American, Swedish American, or English American, we were all lumped into the category of white. As a result of this, many of us feel like we have no culture.
She explained that today the white struggle is largely related to class. The white poor, who make up the majority of the poor in America incidentally, continue to face struggles scraping to get by. Side note: In Barack Obama’s historic speech on race in Philadelphia, he acknowledged the white struggle and the common economic hardships that blacks and whites are currently facing with the housing crisis and loss of jobs. He said many whites do not feel privileged. He urged blacks and whites to identify the real culprits, the corporations that continue to ship our jobs overseas for easy profits.
I finally chimed in and said that people in our neighborhood often make assumptions about us because we are white. They assume we are rich or that we have never experienced any hardship or personal tragedy. Or they assume we are driving gentrification and the displacement of our neighbors rather than here to serve and be part of the community. Being white in a majority African American neighborhood causes cops to assume you are there to buy drugs or sell your body for money.
Even though I am very aware of the privileges that my skin confers on me (in areas like education, health, wealth, stereotypes, politics, judicial system, inheritance, etc.), I am also aware that it is important to acknowledge the historical and present struggles many whites experience.
So I guess I am learning that I do not have to ignore my own struggle to actively fight against racism, but to be as eager as that high school student to listen to the struggles of others that are different from me.
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Thanks, Shawn.
By Joe Grove / Jun 3, 09:28 AM / #
Hey Shawn – I wish they had an e-mail to reach you. I will have a group of students in Chicago next week working with Breakthrough and several other groups. I would love for them to hear about Mission Year. I left a message with Mission Year with my cell #.
By Eric Opton / Jul 11, 10:44 PM / #