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Over the last few weeks, I’ve been speaking at several career days for students. After speaking at a college event, a few questions surfaced that I found interesting, impressive and complicated.
One student expressed doubts about her ability to work in the social justice field as a white person.
A few thoughts.
I’m glad she’s asking this question. I’m glad she’s aware of her privilege and starting to think about how it may play out in a career centered on justice and equality. I tell her it’s a question that should and will come up for her even once she embarks on her career.
My answer is yes; there is room. As someone who is often asking herself, “is there room for my privilege in this cause?” (In some rooms and for some causes I have a lot of privilege, and in others I’m sidelined.) I’m open to realizing that sometimes there isn’t always room. Sometimes I shouldn’t be taking the lead on certain projects, or letting my privilege distract from the work and from individuals whose identities are connected to the work. But those are specific moments, positions and projects. Generally, there is room.
What’s the alternative? That smart people with privilege go on to apply their intelligence and time to causes that are not rooted in social justice? That they go on to work for banks? If there is a need for careers in social justice, it tells us that there is work to be done. If there is equality yet to be reached, what is the benefit of pushing talented people out of reaching for it? It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have conversations about how privilege plays out in the work. And it doesn’t mean that their privilege should let them get jobs and titles that should go to others who are more deserving. I think some of the growing pains we experience in our teams and companies are like little microcosms of the larger social issues we’re working to address. In this way, working through those growing pains is a key part of the work.
What do you think?