Making Implicit Bias Explicit Discussion - Overcoming Bias
Please watch to The Power of Privilege, a TEDx Talk by Tiffany Jana, which explores the definition of privilege and how acknowledging it is necessary in advancing equity and fairness.
Take a moment to reflect on the privileges you have, and share your experience - how did it feel to identify your privilege? Did anything surprise you?
While I definitely hold some less privileged identities, I have quite a few areas in which I am highly privileged. Race comes to mind first - as a white person, I hold a ton of privilege in society - I recognize many of the ways that privilege affects my life, but there are probably ways I don't recognize it either.
I live in a weird in between space of financial privilege. I grew up working class, bordering on poor, but as I got older, my family moved more towards solidly middle class. We bought things second hand and kept them til they wore out and did lots of other things to save money that I found embarrassing socially, but I never remember a being worried that we wouldn't eat. As an adult, I have experienced poverty to the point of worrying if I will eat.... but I also always knew that I would never be homeless because my family wouldn't allow that.
There are also other categories in which the "switch" isn't flipped to privilege or no privilege for me as well. I go through the world with a chronic physical illness, two neurodevelopmental disabilities, and three mental health conditions, one severe enough that even the state of Texas considers it disabling. 😂 This causes significant challenges in a world that was built for healthy, neurotypical people. BUT I don't "look disabled" to people I don't know so I don't have to worry about being treated as less than unless I choose to disclose my health information, which means that I move through the world with more health privilege than someone who is visibly disabled.
Some privileges are easier for me to accept than others. I have been surprised over the last few months how difficult it has been for me to accept my financial privilege. Because I have personally never had a lot of money, I always felt decidedly UNprivileged in that category and realizing that I had tons more privilege than I thought was SUCH an uncomfortable realization. I think it takes time and some real humility to learn to accept our privileges and that can definitely be a challenge!