Author Michael Wenger discusses racial inequality

Most people don’t understand white privilege and the responsibility it gives them in addressing racism in America, said author Michael Wenger in a talk Monday at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

A white man who married an African-American woman and raised African-American children, Wegner wrote the book “My Black Family, My White Privilege,” which addresses the legacy of racism and the privilege of being white.

“We are still a racist society,” Wenger said in his lecture.

The talk was sponsored by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute’s Race, Ethnicity and Culture Committee along with the UNC School of Education Cultural Studies and Literacies Program.

Wenger argued most white Americans are unaware of the extent of disadvantages faced by people of color.

Wenger said that the unequal funding of schools, incarceration rates and ongoing job discrimination show that the playing field is not level. And yet, Wenger said that we as a society have come to believe we have equal opportunity.

“We believe there is an equal playing field now,” he said.

He said this belief has had dire consequences in how we perceive racial inequalities.

“If we believe there’s a level playing field, then any failure to achieve success must be an issue of personal responsibility,” he said.

“How else can you explain the gaps in poverty, in wealth, in achievement, in unemployment?”

He said this leads us to believe that government action is both unnecessary and inappropriate.

“We lock in inequality,” he said.

Wenger said that even though white Americans today may not be directly engaged in racist behavior, they still have a responsibility to address racial inequality because they benefit from white privilege.

“You have unconsciously been privileged because you are white, and because of that you have some accountability, some obligation to address the issue,” Wenger said.

“When you say to most white Americans, ‘You enjoy white privilege,’ they’ll laugh at you.”

He said that understanding white privilege is an important part of taking personal responsibility for social equality.

“Each of us must decide what role we will play,” Wenger said.

Sophomore Alissa Alba, who attended the event, said she was keen to hear the author’s perspective on racial inequality in America.

“I’m really interested in the idea of white privilege and how a lot of people don’t realize that by being born as white, you get these privileges,” she said.

“If you don’t go looking for it, often it becomes background noise.”

Senior Ryan Page said white privilege is one of the most important issues not spoken about in his generation.

Wenger said choosing to pay attention is an important starting point.

“It’s up to us to create a world in which color simply doesn’t matter,” he said.

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