{"id":40579,"date":"2016-08-18T15:15:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T19:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=40579"},"modified":"2016-08-18T15:15:37","modified_gmt":"2016-08-18T19:15:37","slug":"white-privilege-discussion-a-step-towards-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2016\/08\/white-privilege-discussion-a-step-towards-change\/","title":{"rendered":"White privilege discussion a step towards change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The crippling presence of white privilege is so normal in Canadian society that most people don\u2019t even realize it exists, says Tamari Kitossa, associate professor of sociology at Brock University.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhite people believe that whatever privileges and access they have, it\u2019s a function of their efforts and hard labour and not that there\u2019s a system supporting their access and their privileges,\u201d says Kitossa.<\/p>\n

The Brock scholar will join a host of international experts examining these issues at a landmark conference this fall. The White Privilege Symposium will be held for the first time in Canada when it takes place Sept. 30-Oct 1 at Brock.<\/p>\n

Kitossa says ignorance and naivet\u00e9 about race is often a direct result of white privilege, a system of inequality that gives white individuals access to resources and supports while others are excluded. But white privilege is so ingrained in western culture that, even when it is discussed, it is often dismissed.<\/p>\n

Race is not a problem for the oppressed, it\u2019s a problem for people who created and benefit from it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people make complaints, it\u2019s presumed that they are either not working hard enough or that they are finding something to complain about,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the privileges of whiteness, that whites never have to look at themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Brock\u2019s leading experts on race and its role in society, Kitossa will lead a workshop during the conference using his research into how the African body is represented as threatening and ways in which European culture exploit that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality of it is, race is a significant problem in Canada to the extent that Canada is a white-dominated, colonial place and all of our institutions, all of the popular culture, seek to reproduce white innocence and whiteness,\u201d the professor says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to recognize this is a problem that won\u2019t go away. Race is not a problem for the oppressed, it\u2019s a problem for people who created and benefit from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kitossa says the symposium is an important step on the road to equity.\u00a0He said engaging in conversation about white privilege will help develop a language around it so it can be challenged and countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ultimate goal is to change the culture,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The timing of the symposium is important as debate rages in the United States about race, policing, Donald Trump and political correctness.\u00a0He points to Trump\u2019s assertion that he can\u2019t speak freely because people are trying to censor him, in particular when talking about crime in America.\u00a0Kitossa says Trump is using coded language that comes from a place of white privilege.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump is talking about crime in the streets. Well, who does crime in the streets signify? Blackness – African Americans. Definitely not white people,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

He says decoding that type of language is an important aspect of the symposium.<\/p>\n

Brock\u2019s location in an area with strong ties to the Underground Railroad is fitting for the symposium\u2019s first time being held in Canada.\u00a0He noted that Brock\u2019s experience with black face incidents – one of the catalysts for the Task Force on Racial Climate to bring the conference here \u2013 shows a need to address racism on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s support for this conference is sending a positive signal that the University community itself is ready and willing to engage this difficult conversation,\u201d Kitossa says.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n

What: White Privilege Symposium<\/p>\n

When: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2016<\/p>\n

Where: Brock University<\/p>\n

Register: Visit https:\/\/brocku.ca\/racial-climate\/wpsc\/<\/a> for more information<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The crippling presence of white privilege is so normal in Canadian society that most people don\u2019t even realize it exists, says Tamari Kitossa, associate professor of sociology at Brock University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":40580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3319,4052,1],"tags":[4389,33,4280,4281],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40579"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40585,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40579\/revisions\/40585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}