Unpacking the invisible knapsack in which she describes an invisible weightless knapsack of assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear. Unpacking the invisible knapsack i was taught to see racism oniy in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group. Unpacking the invisible knapsack, this exercise helps reveal the disparate and often hidden ways that race impacts our daily lives. An introduction to unpacking the invisible knapsack. Unpacking the invisible knapsack of settler privilege. I was taught, she writes, to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group. It can be an instrument used to gain success or a restraint causing my strife. The classic work unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh now holds a place in the modern liberal canon. Anyone who wishes to reproduce more than 35 copies of this article must apply to the author, dr. This is useful in that it speaks to relative advantage and that privilege is often hidden or unseen.
Adapted from peggy mcintoshs article, white privilege. Time to unpack your invisible knapsack of privileges originally published april, 2017 at 6. Unpacking the invisible knapsack describes the privileges white people gets without realizing their advantage over others. The where do you stand activity was essential to setting the stage for this, because it simply illustrates that everyone is a participant in this complicated system of privilegebut also that your role goes beyond the simple binary of being a victim or a beneficiary, the oppressor or the oppressed. How to unpack the invisible knapsack in high school. Mcintosh believes that caucasians hold power over people of color, and that white people are unable or.
Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh i was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group daily effects of white privilege i decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. Peggy mcintosh born november 7, 1934 is an american feminist, antiracism activist, scholar, speaker, and senior research scientist of the wellesley centers for women. Unpacking the invisible knapsack this is a great activity to stimulate selfreflection related to multicultural education and relationshipbuilding. Our goal this issue is to provide resources and activities to help you, your family, your students, and others increase awareness of privilege. This activity allows participants to get a better understanding.
A critique of white privilege theory inside the head of a. Unpacking the invisible knapsack 1455 words 6 pages. Unpacking the invisible knapsack this is a great activity to stimulate selfreflection by teachers related to multicultural education and relationshipbuilding. A critique of white privilege theory inside the head. At the end of the activity, students should be able to. To some though, my list may seem obvious, or banal. This activity is meant to create a forum to discuss the various privileges. Unpacking the invisible knapsack in the late 1960s, civil rights activists, social workers, and educators began using a variety of techniques encounter groups, classroom curricula, t groups, small group discussions, and sensitivity training designed to break through whites wall of denial. However, my peers and i have found that students often resist its. I can arrange my activities so that i will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my. Unpacking the invisible knapsack first appeared in peace and freedom magazine, julyaugust, 1989, pp. Unpacking peggy mcintoshs knapsack by william ray duration. Unpacking the invisible knapsack, is used an entry point into this topic. In 1990, wellesley college professor peggy mcintosh wrote an essay called white privilege.
Peggy mcintosh through work to bring materials from womens studies into the rest of the curriculum, i. In her essay, unpacking the invisible knapsack, american feminist and activist, peggy mcintosh, explores the power of white privilege. Definition privilege is a right or exemption from liability or duty granted as a special benefit or advantage. Its not just about obvious exclusion and oppression. She is the founder of the national seed project on inclusive curriculum seeking educational equity and diversity. It was written as a way to explore and explain how race and color afford certain privileges and disadvantages in society, much in the same way that she had found in her womens studies work at wellesly college. After participating in this activity people will be more aware of the invisible privileges with which we often use every day. Conversation circle on peggy macintoshs white privilege.
White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks. It has been used in workshops and classes throughout the united states and canada for many years. She and emily style codirected seed for its first twentyfive years. Unpacking the invisible knapsack, this exercise helps reveal the disparate and often hidden ways that. Racial inventory depicted in video dvd chapter 5 adapted from peggy mcintoshs article, white privilege. Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh, and the history of the klan an overhead transparency or photocopied handout of the hate map from. I didnt know it at the time, but peggy mcintoshs unpacking the invisible knapsack is kind of a classic of antiracist thought. This activity was developed by nancy gallavan 2005, based upon the works of peggy mcintosh 1989, and was designed for use in an teacher preservice multicultural education course. Peggy mcintosh, a white woman, wrote the influential essay white privilege. Information privilege library 101 toolkit white privilege unpacking the invisible backpack by andrew unpacking the invisible knapsack you white privilege unpacking the invisible knapsack peggy mcintosh.
Focusing on peggy mcintoshs reading white privilege. The document white priviledge unpacking the invisible. Unpacking the invisible backpack activity sante blog. Unpacking the invisible knapsack, pack your own knapsack of privilege. Oppression is the result of the use of institutional privilege and power, wherein one person or group benefits at the expense of another. Unpacking the invisible knapsack, is a discussionbased activity that guides participants in understanding privilege as a. Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh this article is now considered a classic by antiracist educators. And nowhere is this more needed than in the area of race.
Unpacking the invisible knapsack, perhaps the most succinct analysis of white privilege yet written. Invisible knapsacks inclusive teaching university of michigan. Aug 24, 2017 invisible knapsacks activity facilitation guide. In 1989, the original white privilege and male privilege essay was edited down and entitled white privilege. Peggy mcintosh wrote an essay in 1989 called, white privilege.
I now think that we need a more finely differentiated taxonomy of privilege, for some of these varieties are only what one would want for. The activity helps teachers see various aspects of life through different cultural lenses, including their own, and improves cultural awareness and community building by checking. The essay, published in 1988, likens the founding privileges upon which american institutions are built to an invisible package of unearned assets and unpacks those assets in terms of power, identity and selfimage. Racism does not begin and end with jim crow and the klan. It wraps around my shoulders and presses down upon my life. The invisible knapsack here is my knapsack that i carry upon my back, it is filled with what defines me, but the contents you can not always see. As a way of teaching students about contemporary white privilege, many faculty members turn to the classic piece white privilege. Unpacking the invisible knapsack peggy mcintosh i was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group through work to bring materials from womens studies into the rest of the curriculum, i have often. I can arrange my activities so that i will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my race. I am not in the classroom, but i am wondering how ifhow classroom teachers can fit these excellentnecessary lessons in with the amount of time required to devote to test prep for. Unpacking the invisible backpack by peggy mcintosh through the work to bring materials from womens studies into the rest of the curriculum, i have often noticed mens unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged.
To prove this power, mcintosh writes out a list of daily effects of white privilege in her life, including never being asked to speak on behalf of all people in a particular racial group, easily renting or purchasing housing, and the ability to swear. White privilege unpacking the invisible knapsack summary. Privilege points questionnaire benefits and facilitation. One aspect of oppression that helps maintain it is the granting of privileges that may be both unearned andor assumed. In unpacking this invisible knapsack of white privilege, i have listed conditions of daily experience which i once took for granted. This discussionbased activity guides students in understanding. This seminal work by feminist peggy mcintosh continues to be the source for the go to activity on privilegethe privilege walk. Jan 16, 2012 i didnt know it at the time, but peggy mcintoshs unpacking the invisible knapsack is kind of a classic of antiracist thought. Peggy mcintosh first popularized the concept of white privilege in her nowclassic 1989 essay white privilege. Peggy talks about racism being a part of everyday life even though we ignore it. At the end of the activity, students should be able to identify multiple examples of how privilege influences daily life and offer examples from their own. Unpacking the invisible knapsack from the outset of the paper, mcintosh points out the fact that whites are taugt to see racism in individual acts of meanness, not in individual systems conferring dominance on my group.
The mission of cts is to work towards greater social justice. From the knapsack of privilege to the backpack of bias the. Mar 16, 2014 this entry was posted in curriculum, uncategorized and tagged multiculturalism, peggy mcintosh, unpacking the invisible knapsack, white privilege on march 16, 2014 by lpahomov. This privilege protects me from problems that others face on a daily basis. Through work to bring materials from womens studies into the rest of the curriculum, i have often noticed mens unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh i was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group. This activity is prompts all students to explore the manifestations of white privilege, as well as the manifestations of one additional kind of privilege they themselves hold. It builds off of peggy mcintoshs touchstone 1988 essay, white privilege. In unpacking my invisible knapsack, i have listed conditions of daily experience that i once took for granted, as neutral, normal, and universally available to everybody mcintosh. From portland community colleges whiteness history month. Unpacking the invisible knapsack objective the objective of this activity is to confront entrenched systems of power and privilege, and identify common situations when privilege is not acknowledged, to the detriment of the disadvantaged and oppressed. Both the long and short pieces showcase the white privilege mcintosh experiences on a daily basis. The documentwhite priviledge unpacking the invisible knapsack. Sexual orientation daily effects of straight privilege this article is based on peggy mcintoshs article on white privilege and was written by a number of straightidentified students at earlham college who got together to look at some examples of straight privilege.
I now think that we need a more finely differentiated taxonomy of privilege, for some of. This is a great activity to stimulate self reflection by teachers related to multicultural education and relationshipbuilding. Unpacking the invisible knapsack in which she describes an invisible weightless knapsack of assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks as a metaphor for white privilege. From the knapsack of privilege to the backpack of bias. Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh. Unpacking the invisible knapsack peggy mcintosh i was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group describing white privilege makes one newly accountable.
Unpacking the invisible knapsack enough copies for. Mar 23, 2012 teaching white privilege kristin haltinner on march 23, 2012 as a way of teaching students about contemporary white privilege, many faculty members turn to the classic piece white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which i can count on cashing in each day, but about which i was meant to remain oblivious. The impact of her essay was due at least in part to its clarity and readability. Nor did i think of any of these prerequisites as bad for the holder. Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable. This purpose of this paper is to synthesize this writer s three key revelations from this semester which are, 1 white privilege, 2 curriculum corruption and inadequate united states history education in k12 public schools, and 3 united states legislation which disadvantages the minor races as a means for the. Mcintosh believes that caucasians hold power over people of color, and that white people are unable or unwilling to see or admit their position of advantage. The male privilege checklist an unabashed imitation of an article by peggy mcintosh in 1990, wellesley college professor peggy mcintosh wrote an essay called white privilege. Through work to bring materials from womens studies into the rest of the curriculum, i have often noticed mens unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks. Unpacking the invisible knapsack this is a great activity to stimulate. Unpacking the invisible knapsack by peggy mcintosh, there is the discussion of white privilege being some sort of invisible benefit that accompanies whites while they remain oblivious to it.