White privilege is not a thing of the past

Scott Anderson, 47, of Renton says that his race makes his
story "the dominant story."
Photo by Rebecca Gourley.

"I don’t really have a story," says Scott Anderson, a Presbyterian pastor from Renton, and an avid researcher. "It took me a while to figure out why don’t I have a story; and it’s because my story is the dominant story." 

Anderson has had exposure to most of the information in the RACE exhibit, which makes him less like other people going through it, because they may be seeing it for the first time. In particular, he is currently doing research on white privilege in his role as a pastor at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Renton. 

His story is different, he says. He is unsure of his ancestry because his father was adopted, and he talks about white privilege as if it's not a thing of the past, as so many like to believe.

 

"There is this constant drumbeat to claim that things are fair," Anderson said. He explained that because he is white, and because he is male, he can walk into a room and be himself, while people of color cannot. People that recognize themselves as Caucasian have the privilege of being free of judgment, while someone who has a darker complexion doesn't have that luxury. It may not be obvious to the average white person that this type of privilege exists, but Anderson is aware of it.

 

While attending seminary in Atlanta in the '90s, Anderson was recommended to a Presbyterian church in that area, Oakhurst Presbyterian Church. It was a half-white, half-black church, he said. It was integrated in a much different way than other churches around it. He became a member and later did an internship there.

"This congregation was really working intentionally to try to be with one another and share their lives together," said Anderson. "The fact is, is that church [in general] is well known that it’s one of the most segregated places in the world on a Sunday morning. So, that was such an extraordinary church," he continued. He paralleled the segregated tradition of churches throughout the country to this church, where there was no segregation. The contrast was obvious and Anderson works hard at his current church to have integration.

 

Anderson's experience with the RACE exhibit was more of a review of his own research notes. He knew the information, but it was good to see it from a different perspective and to see others interacting with it.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail made a point that still resonates with Anderson, "He says, 'It's never the right time.'" It's never the right time to support a controversial issue or to change the way we think about race, "but there's a conversion that has to happen," says Anderson. "It takes time and it’s a slow process, and it’s a change of mind and heart that happens over a long time."

Race is like a zero sum game, Anderson explained. "We always imagine that there’s a limited pie, so we need to try to grab for our share, or more, of it." The phrase, "survival of the fittest" comes to mind with a zero sum game. White privilege, and the denial of it, draws a connection between survival of the fittest and a zero sum game; when someone wins, someone else equally loses. 

Anderson says that the reason he and his family moved to Renton was because it has the sixth-highest diversity rate in Washington; Tukwila won the top spot. 

"There’s something like 80 languages spoken around [Renton] schools," he stated. "Seeing my kids have the chance to go to school and make friendships with kids that are just very different from them; that look very different, that talk differently. That speaks to me of real promise."

He knows there is hope for the future because of this growing diversity. He pointed out one man's own description of himself in the exhibit. This man described himself as someone who looks like everyone in the year 2500. "We're all going to look the same," Anderson said.

 

 

 

Information in this article, originally published Oct. 24, 2013, was corrected Nov. 13, 2013.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Anderson served a pastor of a church (now named) in Atlanta after he attended seminary. He attended the church as a member and later as an intern while attending seminary, but did not serve as its pastor.

Also, the lead incorrectly quoted Anderson. It should read: “It took me a while to figure out why I don’t have a story; and it’s because my story is the dominant story.” 

 

When loud and obnoxious is better than darker skin

Today, October 21, on the bus I witnessed the most apparent act of racism I have ever seen in Seattle.  

There was an empty seat near the rear exit of bus 150, and a young black woman had her eye on it. When she sat down, it didn't take long for her to stand up and move further back, to the very rear seats. 

She had immediacy in her steps like something had startled her. I didn't think anything of it, other than maybe the person she sat next to didn't smell all that great, which happens frequently on public transportation.  

Bus 150 on its route from Southcenter Mall.
(Photo by Oran Viriyincy)

But then something else happened, a larger black man got on bus 150 and had his eye on the now-vacant seat located near the rear exit. With his bag on one shoulder, it didn't take but three seconds for him to walk away from it and be forced to stand. Why did this man decide to stand instead of sit in this seat? Was it dirty? Again, did the door closing in the back waft an unpleasant scent from the occupier of the adjacent seat?  

I was beginning to think that maybe this person sitting in this seat had a large wound secreting puss or worse. But no, nothing was apparently wrong with this individual, except for the fact that the seat next to him or her was reserved for someone with lighter skin. It wasn't reserved for a friend, it just wasn't available for anyone with a dark complexion.  

It wasn't my speculation that this was true either; other concerned riders questioned the standing man's comment when he looked around the full bus and said "What other seats then?"  

Another rider then repeated what he heard from the black sunglasses that resided in this seat by themselves.  

Imagine in a slightly southern accent, "This seat's taken."  

As an experiment, I wanted to go sit next to this person, to see if they'd let me. Maybe they just hated people in general and wanted a seat to themselves. Maybe it wasn't about race at all, and it was just a coincidence that both rejected from this seat were people of color.  

But I didn't need to, because two white men got on the bus chatting about something insignificant, and I thought "oh please, sit there, sit there." One of them did, and he was probably the most obnoxious of the duo.  

This man, of East-European descent (I could be wrong about this, but this detail is not significant), sat down, not knowing what had occurred prior to his arrival on bus 150. He wasn't rejected like the last two; he was accepted by the stranger in the round, metal-rimmed sunglasses.  

The man proceeded to play a very loud game on his cell phone while carrying on a conversation with his buddy that he walked on with. His obnoxious behavior was more desirable to sit next to than someone with a darker complexion, but who was much quieter.

I didn't have a chance to talk to any of the individuals involved in this act of racism, but I observed enough to write this recollection. This is how I saw and heard the events on that foggy afternoon on bus 150. It was like a strange version of Rosa Parks, except it wasn't a seat in the front of the bus, it was a seat anywhere on the bus.

As this person exited the bus at Southcenter Mall, I did notice that this individual was female, was wearing a long green trench coat, gloves and had long straw-like hair. She was probably in her mid 60s.  

Author's note: Some say I'm making a pretty bold assumption in writing all of this. But this is what I saw, interpret it as you wish. Comment below to weigh in on the conversation.

Race, a social construction with no biological basis

A little girl feeding ducks at a park. She's wearing white tights. 

Can you tell what her race is? Is she black, white, Asian, etc?

Photo by: Rebecca Gourley

What is race? Is it biological? Can someone tell by looking at our DNA what "race" we are? Yes, it's called the Human Race. But, no, you cannot differentiate between "black," "white," "Asian," etc.

Races, according to the U.S. Census (link currently not working due to government shutdown), are narrow classifications that describe individuals based on their perceived identity. The fact that these descriptors have evolved and changed over time shows that there is so scientific or biological basis for them. The discussion about race has been heating up and here are some examples for your enrichment.

An opinion piece by DeWayne Wickham illustrates the racism that is still in the minds of some people in the U.S. He connects a link between modern day racism and the Affordable Care Act. Suggesting that we are still stuck in this divide between these social classifications shows how far we have yet to go.

Scroll about one-third of the way down this article to see this quote from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, "...no coherent, fixed definition of race actually exists." The entire article tackles the "Race is a social construct" statement eloquently. Historically, Coates explains, race has been defined in many different ways; in the U.S., not only did southern whites define themselves as a different race from blacks, but also from northern whites.

Continuing to talk about the historical references to race as a social construction, The Dish explains it well with a lecture given by Dr. Charles Mills entitled "Does Race Exist?" (video). Charles Mills is a professor of philosophy at Northwestern University and says "the reality of race is basically a reality that is socially created." He explains how it's political as well as social. To reiterate something from above, Mills says that racial classifications have evolved over time and are different from country to country. If you move, you can probably assume a different race.

Please, feel free to comment below if you would like to weigh in on the topic, and/or if you can tell which "race" the little girl in the picture is.

Ancestry Trumps Race -- American Mutts

Updated for style October 24, 2013


I didn’t anticipate a lot of surprises before I arrived at the RACE: Are we so different? exhibit. After going through a few displays, however, I was quickly bombarded with a host of emotions. At first, I was shocked by the statistics and data; and then enlightened with the reasons why we have different complexions. It’s not our DNA, it’s the sun, a fact I learned prior to going to this exhibit, but also found it well presented there.

The one image that still resonates with me is a picture of a little girl with her ancestry listed: Japanese, Norwegian and several others. Looking at her image without knowing her ancestry, one would probably classify her as “white” or “Caucasian”. However, once you look at her background, you can see these distinct characteristics that make her unique.

There is just one race, it’s the human race. I thought that before I went into this exhibit and even more so now. Who cares if we look different? Why does it matter that I have really fair skin and someone else has really dark skin? On the census, they could just ask for someone’s heritage and get a rough idea of what they look like. Do we still need these narrow classifications that define us so distinctly?

In the past, I have considered when asked what my race is I would answer “human.” I think that idea is even more relevant now and if you ask me about my ancestry or heritage, this will be a better conversation.

I believe we need to petition to change the structure of the census, and what questions it asks and how close-ended the options are.

I am Norwegian, Danish, German, Irish, Scottish and Swedish; or an American mutt. My fifth great grandfather was a Lord in Scotland and my fifth great grandmother was Lady Margaret Dunn from Ireland in 1758.

One of the displays in the RACE exhibit showing different descriptions used in past censuses.