White privilege

Last weekend I preached on "White privilege" as part of exploring how Jesus moved beyond his own Jewish-only worldview to embrace the Canaanite / Syro-Phoenecian woman as an individual, a woman of faith, and worthy of his attention  (Matt 15:21-18).

White privilege isn't meant to be a perjorative term. Rather, it is a humble acknowledgement by white / Anglo / Caucasian people that there are privileges which I am often unaware of in my culture. Or rather, there are obstacles which others have to overcome which I don't have to consider, which make life easier. Naming and owning my sense of privilege (which can also be male and heterosexual) helps me to become more compassionate to others who don't share this privilege.

Author Peggy McIntosh who coined the phrase's article is here, including 50 signs of white privilege, some of which I used in the homily.

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