Adapted from a comment I just left at Feministe.
You probably can’t make yourself non-racist, but you can make yourself anti-racist. And in the end, being anti-racist is actually more important.
And no, you can’t ever rid yourself of privilege completely. But you can go a long way to rid yourself of ignorance of that privilege.
More to the point, you can make yourself into an opponent of privilege as it exists in the world, rather than just as it exists in you.
Jill hit the nail on the head when she said that the struggle to be — and to be seen as — “one of the good ones” can be a distraction from the real work of the activist. When you find stuff that needs doing, figure out how to help, and get to work on helping, that’s activism. Checking your privilege isn’t activism. It’s a part (and an ongoing part) of the process, but it’s not an end in itself.
And one last thing: As a person with privilege, if you spend time in progressive spaces, you’re going to get yelled at every once in a while. Sometimes people will be right to yell at you. Sometimes they’ll be out of line. Staying open to both possibilities is important, but it’s even more important to learn how to distinguish between them — and to figure out how to respond to each in a productive and self-caring way.
studentactivism.net 
5 comments
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May 3, 2011 at 4:18 pm
NotSoMuch
What privilege? White people and males face many of the same problems that ‘persecuted’ groups also face – with the exception of homosexuals – because it’s a not a gender or racial issue, it’s a class issue. It’s being poor, not being black/female/whatever, that infringes on whatever it is they feel entitled to. When white people face the same problems, they call it ‘life’, not racism.
We looked at all of our problems from the ‘privilege by skin color and genitals’ point of view – the problems are still here. Why don’t we look at it from a ‘the rich want to stay rich’ point of view, widen the scope (to include other nations), and see if this helps us find somewhere more useful to direct our efforts?
May 3, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Angus Johnston
Rich people have class privilege, NSM, but that doesn’t mean white people don’t have white privilege or men don’t have male privilege. By all means, let’s keep class issues in the mix when we’re talking about how oppression works. By all means. But suggesting that class is the root of all discrimination? That’s just not how this world works.
Oh, and while I’m up: Don’t act like white people never cry racism. They do.
May 3, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Seraph
Privilege takes many forms, it can be as simple as having a stable family life.
A good term to look up is ‘Kyriarchy’.
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