Privilege is blinding.
I have seen this situation from both sides.
I have been rightly accused of insensitivity due to my White privilege. I have also been the victim of blinding privilege as a woman.
How do we deconstruct the privilege that blinds us--how do we begin to see better and more accurately rather than be blinded by that privilege. What can we do?
We can listen more and better? We can study and read? We can broaden the people we work with, know, and hear. We can work to uplift the privilege of others by supporting their work, their ideas, their vision.
And how do we react when we are the victims of the privilege that blinds others? I have experienced this with a group of male education leaders who, as cronies, often work against the rights and needs of women in education. I have been thinking about this situation for a long time, and I am often offended by the words and actions they use. I am aware that many of them are unaware of their privilege, and the oppression that brings with it.
I am not exactly sure about this topic, but to identify the need is the first step in learning more and working better.