I need a respond to each discussion post. 100 word each.

1) I feel that I am privileged in most areas of my life. As an African American, I am in the subordinate group because blacks, at one point in time were slaves, didn’t have any rights, and weren’t even considered to be human beings. If you are Caucasian, you are born with certain rights that don’t apply to African Americans. The text describes this as having white privilege (Kahn, 2015). Although, there has been much progression, since the civil rights movement, blacks are still subordinate to Caucasians. As it pertains to my socioeconomic status, I don’t feel that I am privileged. I don’t feel this way because of anyone else’s doings; I believe it is due to bad decision-making in my past. As it pertains to education, I am very privileged because nothing has held me back from getting a higher education. To be honest, I am at an advantage concerning education because I qualify for government assistance, based on my income. Also, many colleges accept African Americans over Caucasians to meet the race quota. This process is known as reverse discrimination/reverse racism. As it pertains to spirituality, I feel that I am privileged because I have the right to freely worship and praise God without being persecuted for my beliefs.

As it pertains to age, I believe that since I am 50 years old, I am in a subordinate group, due to not being able to physically get around like I did when I was younger. I know that some employers are looking for seasoned workers, but I feel like most people want to hire someone who is younger because they move and think quicker than an older person does. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 states that “the setting of arbitrary age limits regardless of the potential for job performance, . . . may work to the disadvantage of older persons” (Sec. 621 [Section 2] (a) (2)). Even though there are age discrimination policies in place, some employers still show discrimination against older adults.

When asked if I have been aware of these privileges my whole life, I must say, yes. I have always known I had most of these privileges, with the exception of religion and education. I never thought that I had much of a choice regarding religion. Within the last five years, I realized that I didn’t have to follow the footsteps of my family’s choice to practice Christianity. I decided that religion wasn’t for me, but spirituality is. The same applies to education. I always thought that I could never get a college education because we were poor. I later found out that being poor was a privilege, as it pertains to financing my education.

The more I learn about privilege, I am surprised to know that I have been privileged my entire life. Living in the United States has afforded me many privileges that other countries can’t or won’t afford their citizens. I also learned that there are some privileges attached to being of a lesser income than some of my counterparts because I qualify for assistance to fill in some of the financial gaps. I have come to realize that the only person who can hold me back from advancing in life is me.

Kahn, A. (2015). The ecology of diversity: Examining individuals, societies, and cultures. San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education.

2)To be considered as a privileged person, you must possess a sense of entitlement or unearned advantage. It is common for cultures that benefit from the privilege to be unaware of it. Everyone has experienced some type of privilege whether it be positive or negative. The hard part is acceptance, and realizing that some privilege is out of your control (Willis, 2016). From a racial standpoint, my privileges vary considering that I am an African American female. My privilege was having a strong black mother to introduce me to some of the things I’d experience a black woman in society. Not only is my mother a black woman as well, but she also had the privilege of attending college and receiving her degree in business. This impacted me in a positive way because it motivated me to go pursue education for myself, and opened my eyes to what strong African American women are capable of.

Unfortunately, I was unaware of the privileges that my sister and I experienced as children. Growing up, I was under the impression that everyone had the same privilege’s as I did. For example, having both of my parents and a roof over my head didn’t seem like much as a child. Privilege in my eyes back then would be a new barbie doll or being able to sleep over my friend’s house. Now that I’m older, however, I appreciate all that my parents have done for me and the reasons why they did. The most interesting thing about my privilege would be not realizing that I had it. I hate to say it, but I was one of those kids that felt like something was missing, or that I didn’t have enough. In my adult life, it is clear that I had way more than others and I should have been grateful for what I was given. Not too many people can say they grew up in a two-parent household with a large extended family, but fortunately, I can. This has caused me to appreciate the little things in life and to never take things for granted.

Based on the privileges I’ve encountered, I see nothing but success, love, and prosperity in my near future. Just thinking that I’m currently enrolled in grad school is a privilege in itself. Not to mention, securing a job in my field after just graduating in May of 2019! I’d say that privileges have guided me to where I am today, and I’m forever grateful for the accomplishments they have contributed to.

References

Willis, Naria (2016). 5 Types Of Privilege You Probably Have No Idea You’re Benefiting From