WorldCanvass hosted White Privilege, Structural Racism, and the Dream of America to educate people about structural racism, white privilege, and white supremacy in the American past and present.
By Isabella Senno
Taking a look back can help with moving forward.
On Wednesday, WorldCanvass hosted White Privilege, Structural Racism, and the Dream of America. The event involved three separate panels by seven interchanging members of the University of Iowa community. Respectively, the three segments addressed an overview of structural racism and white privilege, white supremacy in America, and the global rise in nationalist sentiments.
“The recent election has highlighted deep divisions in the electorate and we have yet to see how the incoming administration will address the uneasiness felt by so many African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, Muslims, and others,” said Joan Kjaer, the event’s moderator. “To move forward, we need to acknowledge that dissonances exist and engage in frank discussion.”
Panelists sought to develop a discussion about the roots of structural racism, white privilege and the problems that come attached to both, such as police brutality.
“We need to understand our history better in order to know how we arrived at our current situation,” said Loren Glass, a panelist and English professor. “Not enough folks know about how pervasive white privilege has been throughout American history. In some ways, American history is the history of white privilege.”
White privilege is the collection of social, political, and economic benefits that a white person receives as a result of their complexion.
“When you become white in this country you can claim that you’ve earned this, you can be ahistorical in what you discuss and how you’ve come to have what you have and why other people don’t have it,” said Jason England, a panelist and UI lecturer in rhetoric. “This election was a really strong reaffirmation of whiteness as a concept; it was a reaffirmation of a norm.”
In the wake of the presidential election, the country saw a rise in incidents involving crimes against minorities. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy group, reported over 867 incidents in the 10 days following Nov. 8, a number equal to the amount usually seen over six months.
“I don’t believe in white people, I never have,” England said. “People who do things, terrible things, and then next they tell you that they didn’t do them, that in fact they blame you for those things they’ve done. Certainly on the individual level, we’ve seen this.”
According to the Pew Research Center, a record 77 percent of Americans believes their nation to be divided under Trump.
“There are, and always have been two competing American Dreams. One is a white nationalist dream, a belief that America is a white country and white people should be in power,” Glass said. “The other is a multicultural dream in which America offers equal opportunity and encourages diversity.”
The panel also provided advice on how to best combat these unjust structures, encouraging not only education and open discussions, but also visible action.
“There has to be a sense of urgency. What is happening to people in broad daylight and on camera — that will happen to you. There has to be a sense that you don’t just watch and say ‘I feel bad.’ There has to be action beyond that,” England said. “We’re fighting for this country’s soul, and it’s not a black or a white or a Latino soul, but we’re fighting for this country’s soul.”