What is White privilege? white privilege (hwait 'privilidz), social relation, [ad. L. privilegi-um a bill or law in favor of or against an individual.]

1. a. A right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by the class of white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities.

b. In extended sense: A special advantage or benefit of white persons; with ideological reference to divine dispensations, natural advantages, gifts of fortune, genetic endowments, social relations, etc.

 

2. A privileged position; the possession of an advantage white persons enjoy over non-whites and white individuals enjoy over non-white individuals.

 

3. a. The special right or immunity attaching to white persons as a social relation; prerogative.

b. display of white privilege, a social expression of a white person or persons demanding to be treated as a member or members of the socially privileged class.

 

4. a. v. trans. To invest white persons with a privilege or privileges; to grant to white persons a particular right or immunity; to benefit or favor specially white persons; to invest white persons with special honorable distinctions.

b. refl. To avail oneself of a privilege owing to one as a white person.

 

5. To authorize, license of white person or persons what is otherwise (for non-white person or persons) forbidden or wrong; to justify, excuse.

6. To give to white persons special freedom or immunity from some liability or burden to which non-white persons are subject; to exempt.

From http://www.whiteprivilege.com/ For more - reading resources, news and analysis - visit The Monkey Fist Collective