White Privilege

I'm more than a little disappointed that President Obama showed his birth certificate today. No other president of the United States has had to prove that he was born here in the manner that President Obama did. Obama's previous refusal to show his birth certificate symbolized resistance to this idea that non-whites in this country need to prove they belong here. (An idea that is rampant in anti-immigration laws passed in recent years in places like Arizona.)

A friend posed the question, would a white President ever feel compelled to release his birth certificate to prove his American-ness? Well, none of them have yet. A family member told me the issue of Obama's birth certificate has nothing to do with race. That's easy to say if you've never had your citizenship questioned and never had anyone assume, by looking at your skin color, that you were from another country. Where's the demand for Bill Clinton's birth certificate? Where's the demand for George W. Bush's birth certificate? Where's the demand for any WHITE president's birth certificate? (What if, God-forbid, they were born in Canada?!)

Being white in this country carries a lot of privilege, including the privilege of not having to prove citizenship in this country. I work with students everyday, most that were born here, a few that weren't, but they all are non-white. A large percentage, if not all, of them will probably all be asked the question multiple times in there life--"where are you from?--with the insinuation that they are not from the United States. No one has ever asked me that question. I have never had to prove citizenship outside of the normal circumstances of getting a job, getting a passport, etc. I don't carry around my passport or birth certificate to prove to any police officer that I am a citizen. That's the benefit of white privilege.

If the president of the United States gives into the pressure to prove his American-ness, what hope does this country have for overcoming its deeply held prejudices against those who are non white, as well as the assumption that white skin equals American and non-white skin equals foreigner?