Despite what a lot of people may think,white privilege exists, and it is the cause of a great deal of racial disparities that exist in America. Now, one woman has come up with quite a unique idea: a kickstart campaign to gain white privilege.
GoFundMe.com user Yaya M. launched an "I need some white privilege!" crowd funding campaign on Wednesday in an effort to raise the money she feels she's been denied because of her lack of white privilege.
"Although I have layered oppressions that have affected my ability to access my slice of the American Pie™, no issue has affected me more readily than my lack of white privilege."
Yaya's end goal of $135,000 was calculated averaging her work history with an estimated rate of monetary disadvantage.
I've been earning anywhere from 63-69% of what a white man makes for the same work since I entered the workforce in 1999. Even if I control for part-time work as a teenager and consider increases in pay as I grew older/more experienced and changed my field, that still averages out to about a $9000 deficit for each year I've been employed. Multiply that by 15 years of hustle and you have my total.
With 10 thousand likes on Facebook and almost $4,000 of donations from over 200 people in four days, there is promise yet to raise a fair amount of money, if not the entire desired goal.
But YaYa isn't just asking for money, she's offering up some black privilege in exchange for people's support. The reward levels vary from five dollars to $250, and offer an array of things, from permission to touch Yaya's natural hair without asking ($15, sold out) translations of up to five words/phrases from Ebonics to "White American English" ($35), to a copy of her grandmother's collard greens recipe ($100, sold out), to having Yaya "dress like a cop and harass you on the street for what will seem like no reason" ($200) -- the $250 donation prize is the same as $200 except someone will record it and post it on WorldStarHipHop.com.
The jury's still out on whether the "I Need Some White Privilege!" campaign is hilarious or insulting, but it is, at the very least, proof that crowdfunding campaigns can be declarations of social criticism.
Read Yaya's entire 'I Need Some White Privilege!' description below, or visit her GoFundMe page.
Hello Everyone!
I am writing you today to ask that you assist me in acquiring some white privilege. Although I have layered oppressions that have affected my ability to access my slice of the American Pie™, no issue has affected me more readily than my lack of white privilege. From being assumed to have "cheated" my way into programs for gifted children AND college (via affirmative action), to having my natural hair viewed as unprofessional amongst professional peers, to having people make negative assumptions about my competency level, interests, and job knowledge, to being viewed as naturally dangerous or threatening, my lack of white privilege has created numerous obstacles as I've struggled to successfully compete in a white dominated workforce. I am hoping that, through this campaign, I will begin to make some headway towards closing the gap that white privilege has created in my life.
In return for paying for my white privilege, I would love to give you some "black privilege" in return! Yes, it is difficult being a black person but there are some neat perks, as you will discover if you donate!
((For those of you interested to know how I came up with a dollar amount for white privilege the answer is less complex than you might think. As someone who has historically been classified by the United States government as a Black/African American woman, I've been earning anywhere from 63-69% of what a white man makes for the same work since I entered the workforce in 1999. Even if I control for part-time work as a teenager and consider increases in pay as I grew older/more experienced and changed my field, that still averages out to about a $9000 deficit for each year I've been employed. Multiply that by 15 years of hustle and you have my total.))
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/white-privilege-fundraiser_n_5585470.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices
