Does white privilege really exist? To be honest, as a person who was on welfare for a period of
time when I was a child and who had to work hard for everything I acquired in life, I didn’t
experience white privilege so I didn’t think it existed. In fact, I always felt that we, as
Americans, have an opportunity to go after whatever dreams we want and as long as we work
hard, we have a chance of “making it” so I actually saw fairness in our country and not
privilege until the day I realized what white privilege actually means and then everything
changed.

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Let me ask you a question: Are there neighborhoods or areas in your state that you avoid
because they aren’t safe? If the answer to that question is yes and you get to drive past them
instead of having to live in them, then you are experiencing privilege. And the term is often
referred to as white privilege because these “bad areas” are comprised predominately of black
people. The response as the ticket out of these areas is often “get a job” but the stark reality is
that it takes years of earning minimum wage to earn enough money to pay for a nice apartment
and a move and how can one earn more than that without a degree or work experience? How
can one even qualify for a nicer place on low income? In the meantime, these poor areas are
mini war zones where guns, violence and the possibility of getting shot going to and from
school and work is real. The areas that we don’t even feel safe driving through in the protection
of a car are places where we allow people to live (including single women and young children)
without helping them get to safety.

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As with all war zones, the people living in them likely have no choice but to carry a weapon in
order to try to protect oneself and defend oneself, but if you get caught with one, you may face
prison so your life is at risk either way. Selling drugs seems to be the fastest way to earn the
big bucks needed to get out of this horrible way of life and at some point, that option may
become an attractive one because with death and prison already on the table, it doesn’t seem
like you have much more to lose anyway. The sad reality is that selling drugs in the area in
which you live also means there is a high probability that you or someone you love will cross
paths with drugs too, which puts another life at risk. Since the people living in these areas
don’t have the means or money to manufacture the drugs, it’s clear that someone is sitting in a
comfortable office somewhere counting their cash as they take advantage of people who they
know are desperate. Wrongful imprisonment is often a high probability in these areas, too,
because many don’t have money to afford an attorney.

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I have spent a lot of time visiting these poor, crime-ridden areas over the past couple of years
and I saw first-hand the dangers that these people deal with. They aren’t just living with
violence and the risk of being shot, but they are living in decrepit conditions where houses are
so run down that some look as though a roof or porch may collapse. Given that many of the
people likely don’t own the house but are only renting, the conditions may be because
landlords know the tenants have no recourse and no other options so they can get away
without doing repairs. If someone does own the house, they need the money for necessities
over repairs, especially if one knows that a well-maintained property will make you appear like

you have money and put a bigger target on your back. Even the roads and sidewalks don’t
look like they are cleaned by the city as often as affluent areas.

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In high crime, poor areas, even simple things start to get impacted. For example, while we walk
into a convenience store and peruse the shelves to purchase whatever we want, some stores
in these areas have plastic shields covering the entire entrance so patrons have to tell the
cashier to get the items they want and then money is exchanged through a hole—Real and
physical barriers are formed between the love and human connection that we all experience.
Security police stand in places like McDonalds as everyone immediately starts to size each
other up wondering who will be the next one to steal or hurt someone because that is how life
is in a real war zone. The assumption has to be violence and survival because it’s the reality of
what one is living through. Even if you don’t want to live life on guard, your natural biological
human instincts will make you that way. Think about how you feel even driving through a
“dangerous area.” You become worried, nervous, stressed and are ready to react faster until
you drive out of it. Imagine if you could never drive out of it and were forced to have this
become your normal way of life.

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Imagine if you knew your next door neighbor didn’t like you, had a gun and threatened you.
You would start to be afraid to even walk outside. Now take that up a notch where many
people have guns and could harm you. People live on edge in these areas because they have
no other choice but to do that and children learn what they live. If they grow up with guns and
violence it’s all that they will know.

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Then there is the added component of group culture. When groups of people live near each
other, they start to assimilate in various ways. For example, in Nashville you will find cowboy
boots, denim and hear“Y’all” and while in Boston you may find preppy clothes and hear “Carrrr
or garrrage.” Poor areas often have their own style, too, of baggy pants and slang but instead
of that “culture” being considered unique, cool or cute like the others, the assumption is often
trouble and violence. The violence is not because of who they are but where they live and
instead of getting help they get judgement on top of it.

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Black music—wrap—could be a safe ticket out of poverty but they are judged for their music
too, as some consider it violent and glorifying sex, drugs and guns. The fact is this: Every
musician out there writes music based on personal experiences because that’s what makes
their music personal, raw and enables it to connect with people. The experiences of black
people living in war zones is unfortunately violence so it’s no wonder they write about it. For
some, it’s a way to cope and deal with the losses they are experiencing, for others it may be a
way to try to get attention and help and for some, it’s all they know. If you were dealing with
guns and death everyday, you would write about it too. It doesn’t mean they like violence, it
just means it’s the reality of the life experiences they are having. In poor areas, you are not able
to travel and have fun day outings so in essence your only two options are violence or sex and
almost nothing in between. If they do have sex and get pregnant, they are judged for teen
pregnancies and for having babies at a young age. If they didn’t have a baby and had an
abortion, they would be judged for that, too. If they don’t have sex at all, these areas become
all violence and no affection or love. Damed they do, damed if they don’t.

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‘Generational conditions” is a real thing—The wealthy pass on wealth to their children and the
middle class pass on help to their children by allowing them to live at home for awhile or by
helping them to set up their first place. What do you do when you are stuck in generational
poverty? What do you do when you can’t even help yourself let alone your children?

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Black people started out in this country as slaves. They were taken from their homeland and
stripped of everything they owned to build the foundation of our country and helped to form

the groundwork of wealth that many people get to experience. Generational poverty has
plagued many families for many years and few make it out of the warlike conditions they are
living in. We may send them phones or some cash but sending these things into a war zone
isn’t the answer. They need real help to get out of these poor areas and it’s time they get the
help that they’ve been waiting for.