Week Two

        “Unpacking the Knapsack of Privilege” was a very interesting and opening read. Peggy McIntosh drew attention to my own White privileges; experiences I would not have thought twice about prior to reading. I'm disheartened by the systemic nature of racism and how deeply rooted discrimination and oppression are today and throughout history. I liked how “Who Am I” acknowledged that multiple identities, whether dominant or targeted, can coexist. I'm a Caucasian female, one dominant identity and one submissive identity. It's interesting to me which identity I recognize more with and also how the identity I least identify with holds privileges I was unaware of. The fact that stood out to me in “Is Race Real?” was “Race and Freedom were born together”, which discusses how racism was used to expand power in American history. The irony that lies in a country which was founded upon freedom and independence relied on a system of oppression and discrimination to power its rise as a nation. The People Sorting Activity displayed how one's race is growing more and more ambiguous and I'm thankful diversity continues to expand. Perhaps will eventually realize our commonalities are more important than our differences.