I’m currently serving as a student
teaching assistant for the First Year Experience seminar. A few weeks ago, we
were given the task of leading our classes in a Privilege Walk. In order to
participate, students were asked to start the activity by standing in one
straight line. An instructor then began to read statements. For example, they
may have said, “If your parents told you that you were beautiful, intelligent,
and capable, take one step forward,” “if you have ever faced discrimination as
a result of the color of your skin, your gender, or sexual orientation, take
one step back,” or “if you ever had to skip a meal because there was not enough
money to buy food, take one step back.”
At the end of the walk, students
were instructed to look around and take note of their location in relation to
others. The walk was designed to show the ways in which race, gender, social
location and socioeconomic status impact our location in society. It was also
meant to help students recognize the ways in which their privileges, or lack
thereof, may affect location in our society.
In the days that followed, much
controversy unfolded surrounding this exercise. I knew that it would make
people feel uncomfortable, but I also knew that it was not meant to make people
feel guilty about their privilege, nor draw attention to challenges that
students may be facing as a result of their individual situations. I am of the
belief that it is not always a bad thing to be uncomfortable; often, we experience
the most growth out of a situation that forced us step outside of our comfort
zone. I think that this is exactly the case with conversations about race.
Learning how to navigate these topics and conversations is tricky and messy,
but allowing oneself to be vulnerable and feel a little awkward at times has
the possibility to lead to incredible personal development.
This class has pushed me to think
deeply about oppression and the ways that I may be contributing to it as a
white member of society. I was not aware of the ways that being white
benefitted me until I came to Rhodes, but by taking classes like this one, I
have been able to learn about and grapple with my privilege. I think that
activities like the privilege walk are imperative if we are to teach others and
continue to learn, ourselves, about the nature of oppression.
I've seen a lot of Facebook posts saying that this exercise is a problem because it makes people who are privileged feel guilty for their privilege. These posts say that's unfair and contrary to what we're trying to promote. I agree with you that these kinds of exercises are helpful, and they contribute to our greater conversation at Rhodes. I think people are misunderstanding the purpose of an exercise like this. We need to call each other out for our privilege because we all need to have a better understanding of our social location in this world in order to better understand each other. I find it upsetting that people are so concerned for having to acknowledge their privilege (particularly white males because they were the ones posting about it), but they're not concerned with the inequity that is embedded in their privilege vs. others' lack of privilege. These exercises are meant to help us acknowledge our identity and what the means at Rhodes and in society, and I wish people would take that seriously. I agree with you that being uncomfortable is important for our personal growth and development, and in the end it benefits all of us.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who was an STA for the first year experience, I found the exercise only serving to further the gap between those with privilege and those without. Many people were felt to be ashamed of the blessings that they were given and I felt this exercise to be a waste. Everytime I have seen one of these done, most people were blindfolded and then unmasked at the end of the exercise. Instead, throughout the exercise I watched people hesitate with each different step, feeling more uncomfortable with each question.
ReplyDeleteIf the school had the best interest of the students in mind, they would have carefully planned out the first year experience instead of churning out half baked activities each week that most freshmen dislike.
I completely agree with you about the importance of discomfort. Although this activity may not have been comfortable or even favorable, I believe that it was helpful because it allowed students to see the disparities that exist even within our own communities. I do not think that this activity is divisive. Instead, I believe that it forces students to recognize how one's race, class, gender, and sexuality impacts their privilege. This activity is more important than catering to students' preferences: it creates awareness about the injustices of our society.
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