I posted this on a thread, but figured I might as well post it here too. I just wanted to share a couple of experiences I’ve had being a person of color.

I have two boys who are about six years apart. When they first started school their teacher (different teachers, different schools, six years apart) told me that only their mom can pick them up. Those teachers didn’t realize I was their mother because my kids pass as white and I am a person of color.

In another situation, I remember renting a clubhouse for a small party. I was with some whites friends when the new property manager from Arizona came to check on the clubhouse. She did not approach my friends, who were all white, but she did approach me and asked me if I was a resident there. I told her yes and that I had paid to have a party there, but she continued to harass me. My white friends spoke out and asked why they were not approached because they were not residents.

In both these situations I was judged for the color of my skin. That’s just two experiences I have shared, but believe me, there’s more. White privilege is having the privilege of not being judged like that.

When a white person says I’m judging them for being white, it’s not that I’m judging them, I’m judging the systematic racism that exists in our society. To be color blind is white privilege because you don’t have to be reminded by others that you are not white.