White Supremacy

What Is it? White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social, political, historical and/or industrial dominance by whites. White supremacy is rooted in ethnocentrism and a desire for hegemony and power, and has frequently resulted in violence against non-whites.

White Supremacist Groups White supremacist groups can be found in some countries and regions with a significant white population including Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and South Africa. The militant approach taken by white supremacist groups has caused them to be watched closely by law enforcement officials. Some European countries have laws forbidding hate speech, as well as other laws that ban or restrict some white supremacist organizations.

Ku Klux Klan Three main periods of activity in the United States – 1st Klan (1865–1870) – 2nd Klan (1915–1944) – 3rd Klan ( 1946-)

Systemic White Supremacy White supremacy was dominant in the United States before the American Civil War and for decades after Reconstruction. In some parts of the United States, many people who were considered non-white were disenfranchised, barred from government office, and prevented from holding most government jobs well into the second half of the 20th century. White leaders often viewed Native Americans as obstacles to economic and political progress, rather than as settlers in their own right. As seen in the movie “Cry Freedom,” white supremacy was also dominant in South Africa under apartheid. South Africa maintained its white supremacist apartheid system until the early 1990s.

Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible er_embedded&v=pAljja0vi2M er_embedded&v=pAljja0vi2M

Unpacking the Napsack – Peggy McIntosh McIntosh points out the fact that whites are taught to see racism in “individual acts of meanness, not in individual systems conferring dominance on my group.” The basis of her argument is that whites are taught to ignore the fact that they enjoy social privileges that blacks do not because we live in a society of white dominance.

Unpacking the Napsack – Peggy McIntosh Read the article at your tables. Answer the questions listed on the course website.

The Invisible Knapsack of Privileges McIntosh creates an invisible knapsack of daily white privileges and unpacks it in her essay, listing off a variety of daily instances where white dominance is clear. The privileges mentioned include: education, politics, hygiene, careers, entertainment, child care, confrontations, physical appearance, punctuality, and public life.

McIntosh’s Solution to the Problem McIntosh makes the distinction between earned power and conferred privilege. Everyone has an equal shot at earned power. Conferred privilege is only available to certain groups. McIntosh points out that whites not only have an opportunity for earned power, but also are possess conferred privilege. In order to change this, McIntosh states that whites have to acknowledge their unearned power and be willing to give it up so that blacks and other minority groups can enjoy freedom.

Questions What is Peggy McIntosh trying to say in this article? Do you agree with her thesis and conclusions? How do you feel about the article emotionally? If her conclusions are true, how should we deal with these conclusions? Is this a "white" person's issue?