White Privilege: Now that we know, where do we go from here?

Thursday, May 8, 2008
7:30-8:30 p.m., South Cafeteria

You may be familiar with the term “White Privilege” and have had an opportunity to learn what it is and how it affects members of our community. Or, perhaps you have not heard of this concept and depending on where you are coming from may even take offense at the term itself. White privilege has been described as “a sociological concept describing advantages enjoyed by white persons beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people in those same social spaces (nation, community, workplace, etc.). It differs from racism or prejudice by the fact that a person benefiting from white privilege need not hold racist beliefs themselves.”

Consistent with our school's focus on multi-cultural appreciation and following up on the rich and meaningful conversations begun at our April 2nd Parent Education Series, a panel of speakers will continue our conversations on various aspects of cultural competence, including white privilege.

South Eugene High School staff spent much of their professional development time last year and this year, exploring and developing their individual and collective sense of cultural competence and attitudes about racism. They know that the more they learn and grow in this way, the better able they are to serve an increasingly diverse community of learners. Some of the lessons are difficult to come to terms with, but every one is critically important.

These issues are not only relevant to the confines of the school; rather, it's absolutely critical that we include parents in this conversation. It takes courage to participate in this dialogue, and we hope that if you attended in April you will return and if you were unable to make it that you'll join us in May.

We invite all South parents and their students to participate as we continue this meaningful conversation on the concept of “White Privilege” with a panel of highly esteemed members of the various communities of color from Eugene and Springfield. We'll talk about how this applies to South Eugene families and decide what our next steps are to continue awareness among our fellow parents and students on this reality. Based on what occurred during our initial evening discussing this, you'll surely find it to be a most thought provoking evening! Please join us on May 8th.

For more information, please e-mail Helen B. Garrett, Parent Council Chair, sehsparentcouncil@comcast.net