An Annotated Bibliography on White Privilege and Racism

This study primarily examines the experiences of LGBT workers of color in the workplace. It provides statistics on a wide range of subjects within the overall topic, including unemployment and poverty rates. The report provides informative information on the comparison between the situation of LGBT workers of color to that of white LGBT persons. There is information on the reasons behind the unfortunate situation of LGBT workers of color and LGBT youth of color as well as proposals of strategies to fix and combat these issues and barriers.

This study is useful to my research because it provides evidence on the privilege white members of the LGBT community have over members of color. The evidence provided proves how systematic and institutionalized racism in America affects many other issues of equality in America, and not just racism by itself.

Goodman, Diane J. “About Privileged Groups.” Promoting Diversity and Social Justice:

Educating People from Privileged Groups. 2nd ed. Routledge: London, 2011. Print.

This excerpt from Goodman’s book explains what makes a group privileged. While providing characteristics of privileged groups, Goodman also provides easy-to-understand examples of how these characteristics obviously apply to white people in America. There is also extensive and insightful mention on how white people’s privilege leads to oppression for minorities and how these minorities are negatively and unfairly affected by white supremacy and privilege. Goodman’s writing is helpful in my research by providing fundamental and background information on white privilege and the basics of its effects on other Americans.

Guelzo, Allen C. "Take It Down." National Review 67.13 (2015): 24. MasterFILE

Premier. Web. 18 September 2015.

This article is argumentative, with the author believing that the Confederate flag is a symbol of treason and white supremacy in America and not be allowed to be publicly displayed anywhere in the country. There is information on the history of the flag, the Confederate states, and the flag’s revival starting in the early 20th century. There is also quotes from political officials during the time of the Confederate States to prove the author’s argument that the flag is a symbol of treason, slavery, and racism.

This article provides information for my research on white privilege and racism, and provides a very recent example of both, proving that racism is still greatly evident in modern America as well as white supremacy. The author’s position is clear and the article is easy to understand.

Hill, Catherine Hill. “The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap.” American Association of

University Women. Fall 2015. Web. 19 September 2015.

This study researches the truth behind the pay gap between men and women that some have said to be a myth, or only real because of personal career choices. This study proves that the gender pay gap is very real, and not wholly a matter of career choices, education, etc. There is still a 7-12 percent “difference in the earnings of male and female college graduates...unexplained” (The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap 1). The study also goes in depth on how the pay gap affects women of different demographic, primarily race and ethnicity. The results of the pay gap study between white and women of color help me in my research on how white privilege affects feminism/women’s rights.

“K.” Personal Interview. 20 September 2015.

In this interview, I asked K her thoughts on white feminism, the Confederate flag, her experience as a women of color in the LGBT community, white privilege, and the media’s role in all of this. In short, she disagrees with feminism that isn’t intersectional, she sees the Confederate flag as an obvious racist symbol, and she shared a few personal experiences as a black woman in white America. She also feels as if many people do not view her sexuality (bisexual) as valid, and that many white LGBT members are racist.

Kendall, Frances E. “How White Women Reinforce the Supremacy of Whiteness.”

Understanding White Privilege: Creating Authentic Pathways to Authentic

Relationships Across Race. Routledge: London, 2013. 78-95. Print.

This chapter of the book explains how feminist issues between white women and women of color differ, and how white women so often ignore these differences and issues that are specific to women of color. The author also explains why white women ignore these differences, even though there should be no excuse. The article also goes in-depth on the different realities for white women and women of color in America. The author also explains how ignorance on the behalf of a white women, and their choosing to do nothing about this obvious issue, is an issue in and of itself.

This writing is easy to understand and provides relevant, recent, and relatable examples on how white women can often reinforce racism in feminism and in general. It provides great evidence for my research on how white feminism differs from feminism for women of color.

Lorde, Audre. “Sexism: An American Disease in Blackface.” Sister Outsider: Essays and

Speeches. Random House: New York City, 2012. 60-61. Print.

In this article, Lorde discusses the issues that black women face that are separate from those of white women. Lorde emphasizes these differences, telling the reader that feminism for the black women is much different than feminism for the white women, saying, “Black feminism is not white feminism in blackface” (60). In the essay, Lorde also evaluates Robert Staples’ The Black Scholar and argues against his attacking of black women feminists and their relationship with black men.

This article is helpful in my research because it provides evidence and examples for the contrast between feminism for white women and women of color. Lorde successfully exemplifies the differences between the two and how white women were/are seen as the epitome of beauty and femininity. She speaks out on the need for black women to speak out for themselves and their sisters on their own issues instead of letting others speak for them.

Mehta, Maitri. “The First ‘Stonewall’ Trailer is Under Fire for ‘Whitewashing’ the Historic Gay Rights Riots.” Bustle. 4 August 2015. Web. 1 October 2015.

This article discusses the recent attack on Roland Emmerich’s new film Stonewall, which tells the story of the historic 1969 riots at Stonewall Inn in NYC. Emmerich’s new film is being heavily accused of whitewashing the historical event which prominently involved many female and transgender people of color, but the main character in the new film is white, cisgender, and male. Two highly noteworthy and remarkable figures of the actual Stonewall Riots were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both of whom were transgender people of color. Johnson and Rivera are often credited with initiating the riot in the first place and are often remembered as the center of the event. However, their identities are nearly erased and brushed off by the insertion of these prominent white male figures in the film.

This article is helpful to me because it provides a prominent example of white privilege within the LGBTQ+ community and the frequent erasure of the incredible contributions and identities of people of color within the community. The author successfully argues that Stonewall provides a setback on the recent progress within the LGBTQ+ community with the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, by pointing out that the film doesn’t include all of the heroes who sacrificed so much, “considering the film attempts to tell the story of ‘unsung heroes’” (1).

Newman, Michele Louise. “Evolution, Women’s Rights, and Civilizing Missions.” White

Women’s Rights. Oxford UP: Oxford, 1999. 22-24. Print.

This chapter primarily discusses the historical background of “white feminism” and how the movement for (white) women’s rights, aka “the Era of Woman” began. The main idea mentioned throughout the article is the simultaneous development of the women’s rights movement and Social Darwinism, which in turn led to the racism involved in the movement for women’s equality. The author then further goes in-depth on political ideologies and the women’s rights movement and how it all further developed and expanded into a larger movement leading to the widespread idea of white women as feminine beauty and women’s rights, which helps to support my hypothesis that white privilege negatively affects feminism and the still-relevant movement for women’s rights in America today.

Oakley, Tyler. “Examining My Own Privilege as a Gay-White-Cis Male.” Huffington Post.

7 January 2014. Web. 1 October 2015.

In this article, Tyler Oakley examines his own privileges as a white, cisgender man in the gay community. He discusses his realization of how his privilege played such a huge role in so many parts of his life. He briefly explains what the term “privilege” means to him and why it is a problem in today’s society in America. Oakley also describes how recognizing and acknowledging his own inherent privilege can allow him to fight against systematic inequality.

This article is useful because it is a very relevant and recent example of white privilege and how a white person can still have privilege if they are a minority in other areas. Oakley puts makes the article easy to understand and relate to.

Rothenburg, Paula S. White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other side of Racism.

Macmillan: New York City, 2004. 115-117. Print.

Chapter 4 of this book discusses how white privilege is definitely real and how it shapes the U.S. and affects its diverse population. The author, who is white, discusses how he recognizes his own privilege and how it has helped him achieve things throughout his life that minorities may not have had the same amount of access to. The author explains that all white people, no matter their gender, sexuality, annual income, etc., have all drawn on white privilege throughout their lives, sometimes without even knowing it. He describes how the privilege white people hold is nothing they have control over, it is inherent and automatically assigned to them at birth due to systematic and institutionalized racism in America.

This article successfully explains white privilege in-depth and its effects for white people and minorities, from the point of view of a white male, probably the most privileged group in America. Reading this has helped me further research what white privilege is and how it affects the American population.