Obstacles
Even after all of my education and being more than half way through my bachelors degree – in an environment in which discussion of racism, oppression and privilege occurs frequently- I still have trouble with the idea that I have personally benefited from many advantages. I am not trying to deny any of these privileges, particularly those from being white. My challenge lies at the intersection of being white and growing up in difficult situations. I know of a few others who also struggle with this concept because they grew up poor, with a single parent, or with an illness. It is very hard to see yourself as privileged when you have that feeling of being deprived. Many people take this concept farther by saying they can make a direct connection between current miseries in their lives and life-long disadvantages. We all face many obstacles in our life time. It took me a long time for me to realize the obstacle of race. As a baby we all see things the same way. We see our needs and our wants. As long as our needs and wants are satisfied, we don’t care who is the one satisfying them. Race, gender, and age does not matter to us. We live in a world where everyone “belong(s) to no race nor time” (419). As a young child I feel the same is true. We uphold our innocence. It is not until we are older that we start to see the ways and actions of the community around us. Many of us will eventually adopt the actions.
Although I am a White, heterosexual woman, that is not my only identity. I am also a middle class, military brat. I have been blessed with an amazing, loving, strong, and supportive father. He is my hero. My mother is another story. She is where most of my struggles lie. She has struggled with alcoholism my whole life. This problem caused her to miss out on most of my life. My parents divorced when I was four and both quickly remarried. I saw my mother’s new family as a replacement. The choices she has made in her life have prevented her...