A Wisconsin high school is under fire after an 'American Diversity' class introduced the topic of white privilege. Some call the idea of white privilege, also known as white skin privilege, a theory of white guilt. Many parents at Delavan-Darien High School, where the course was offered, expressed offense by the lesson and believe the purpose of the course was to make students feel bad about their skin color. A class handout defined white privilege as "a set of advantages that are believed to be enjoyed by white people beyond those commonly experienced by non-white people in the same social, political, and economic spaces (nation, community, workplace, income, etc.). Theorists differentiate it from racism or prejudice because, they say, a person who may benefit from white privilege is not necessarily racist or prejudiced and may be unaware of having any privileges reserved only for whites."
One of the diversity lessons instructed the students to go to the local Wal-Mart and count the number of dolls that were Black versus white. Another assignment asked questions posed by Strong Black Woman fav and anti-racism advocate Tim Wise such as: (a) Why is the colorblind model of American ineffective, (b) Why is it important to talk about whiteness in America, (c) Explain the irony of the phrase 'United We Stand.'
The course has been suspended.
Read more here.
