Sharing the Power of White Privilege to Catalyze Positive Change in Academic Medicine

José E. Rodríguez, Dmitry Tumin, Kendall M. Campbell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

White privilege can be often overlooked and poorly understood in academic medicine, by those who wield it, and by those who suffer from its deleterious effects. Dr. Peggy McIntosh, a leader in research on equity and diversity in education, described white privilege as a set of unearned benefits that white people have based on being born white in a culture that favors the white race. White people have privilege because it was given to them by other white people, and it was taken by claiming superiority over people of color, starting before the European colonizations of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and continuing through the present day. Many white people come from impoverished communities, suffer from socioeconomic disadvantage, and struggle with unemployment. They may also suffer from inadequate housing and limited education. Because they are white, they still benefit from privilege and positive stereotypes associated with light skin color. As our nation reckons with the murders of unarmed Black people by police, recognizing that many white people have been allies and agents of change forBlack and other minority people, discussing how the power of white privilege can be shared is needed. The authors discuss the power of white privilege and how that power can be shared to promote change in academic medicine.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)539-542
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Academic medicine
  • Equity
  • White privilege

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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