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Confronting Privilege

As a therapist, I value thoughtfulness and authenticity when I work within the intricacies of that which is the human experience. To take in the profound weight of racism in this country, which has infected us all with either incomprehensible injustice or undeserved contentment, requires the same, if not more, consideration.

In doing so, I have to first and foremost be honest with myself. I have to identify my true place in this movement while accepting the harsh realization that it took this drastic shift for me to acknowledge it in the first place.

I am a white woman who benefits from the inherited privileges of the color of my skin, often unrecognized or unconfessed. I work with people that look like me and deal with relatively small societal strains, not much different from my own. This truth makes it easy to turn away from the injustices that surround me, to live comfortably, and to be complacent.

I have built a career on understanding the emotional and physiological impact of trauma with the hope that I can help others manage, accept, and thrive—despite their symptoms. Even with my education and good intent, I can not tell black people how to cope. It is not my place. I may be a partner in emotional processing, but I can never fathom the experience of black people in this country and therefore, can never judge or guide their reactions.  Furthermore, it is not the job of black people to teach me, a white person, how to undo privilege.

It is my job to dig deep within myself, unveil my privilege as well as my quiet desire to stay comfortable and confront this challenge head on. It is my job to continue to educate myself about systemic racism, the pipeline to prison, and the disparities in our healthcare system among segregated communities. 

It is not enough for me to read a recommended book or post on Instagram. If that is what most of us choose to do, then the fear that this movement will end before “the real work” is done is absolutely valid. 

In order to help facilitate sustainable change, I must truly examine the most shameful parts of myself without retreating, and then implore more white people to do the same. In my work, I vow to be a partner in drawing out your complacency and fears once you acknowledge too that this work must be done. I invite you to join me. I promise to hold you accountable to encountering your own privilege and to developing your own unique set of tasks, in order to transform your home, place of work, and/or community.   

Then, when you reflect back on this time in our history, you will remember the power of embracing vulnerability as a source for change.

Stephanie Gibart is a licensed psychotherapist at Elle Studio + Wellness. She is facilitating a socially conscious awareness group around Confronting Privilege for members of the Milwaukee community to seek personal growth and discuss the role that privilege has played in their individual lives. All proceeds will be donated to the Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund.