Augusta University recently hosted a “privilege walk” in which students and faculty members took steps forward and backward based on personal life experiences.
Included were the following instructions:
- “If you were never ashamed of your clothes, house, car, take a step back.”
- “If you went to a private school or attended summer camp, take a step forward.”
- “If you were ever called names because of your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take a step back.”
- “If you ever had to skip a meal because there was not enough money for food growing up, take a step back.”
- “If you saw members of your own race, ethnic group, gender, or sexual orientation positively portrayed on television, take one step forward.”
The point of the exercise was to become better educated on matters facing society that center around homophobia, racism, and sexism.
Augusta sophomore Devon Hill explained how the walk might impact campus more practically after the exercise was said and done.
“If someone wants to help me out or if I want to help someone out, where you come from or how you were raised should not be an issue,” Hill stated. “Everyone has problems. Regardless of what walk of life, it does not matter what color you are, how rich you are, we all have problems,” Hill added.
The privilege walk was meant to force white individuals to grapple with advantages they have do to their skin color.
“Most white people will say things like, ‘I’m not racist, I’m not sexist, I’m not homophobic, but no I’m not going to do anything about it either,’” associate professor Andrew Kemp explained. “It allows people to put up this buffer, so they don’t have to deal with the situation, and they don’t have to give up anything of themselves.”
Isaiah Denby is a college freshman from Tampa Bay, Florida studying economics and political science.
