As an African American (Black) man, I am familiar with conversations about white privilege. When we as Black men talk to a white person about white privilege, we often highlight the fact that although they may not be a racist, they still benefit from a historical system of white supremacy that oppresses Black people and deems white people superior to Black people.
It is not uncommon for white people to launch a rebuttal, denying that racism exists and that they are privileged by being white. Sometimes they become angry and defensive. They may even say that Black peoples struggle is their own fault and that if Black people focused on building their families, they would experience fewer hardships. This sort of response is rooted in racial privilege and is not uncommon for someone completely unaffected by racism to believe and say.
Male Privilege
Did you know that men give women a similar response when women callout male privilege? No, not just white men. Most men. Yes, black men too. Many of us say or act as if black male privilege does not exist. Even if black male privilege does not look identical to privileges afforded to a white male, it does not mean that the injustices that women are experiencing because of their gender are fictitious, being imagined in their heads, or misrepresented.
Black women and other women of color have a particularly difficult challenge. On on hand they are being judged by white people because of their skin color. At the same time, they are being judged by men because of their gender.
We may not be able to identify with the sort of injustices black women experience because we are not being affected by them in the same ways they are, and so we have no idea and sometimes no interest in understanding how they are being affected.
It is worth noting that the closer you are to the feminine end of the masculine and feminine trait scale the less value we tend to give you. Thus, men who express their feelings or show emotions are often met with statements like, “stop acting like a girl, “stop acting like a sissy,” and “man up.”
Still not convinced that black male privilege is a thing? Let us look at a few examples of black male privilege. Although these example are speicific to black women, in many cases the examples hold true for other women.
Killing of unarmed African American Women
Although most people would not recognize the names of Breonna Taylor, DeCynthia Clements, Michelle Cusseaux or Miriam Carey, they are more likely to recognize the names of George Floyd, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The death of the Black women listed above — others — have not triggered the same level of global outrage against police brutality as their Black male counterparts by law enforcement.
This is not because the death of those women were not captured on video. Take for example, in 2015, a video of 37-year-old Natasha McKenna, who was tasered to death in jail while she was experiencing a mental health crisis was distributed to media outlets. However, little attention was given to her horrific death. Unfortunately, racist violence toward Black women have historically been erased, incomplete or ignored.
Sexual harassment and Sexual Assault
As Black men (and men more generally) we are not nervous when walking past a group of women. If we are nervous, it is often not because we feel like our lives are in danger. On the other hand, Black women are frightened when walking past a group of men. The fact that 1 in 5 Black women will be savagely raped during their lifetime suggests that they should be.
Just Being a Man vs. Being a Bi*ch
men can be angry, aggressive, firm, picky, pushy, rude, or vulgar without fear of much judgement. It is considered acceptable for a Black man to be that way because they are a man. However, if a Black possesses the same characteristics, she is described using many disrespectful words such as, angry, bougie, catty, messy and slut. Such behavior is even described as being unwomanly. At the same time, when women express emotions they are described as overemotional, too sensative and drama queen.
Workplace Glass Ceiling
More than any other group, Black women deal with gender stereotypes and gender discrimination in the workplace. For example, despite having the same level of education, women are often paid less for the same position as their male counterparts. Women with children are often forced to abandon their career ambitions and choose a job that is convenient for the family.
If that was not bad enough, women also experience harrassment at the workplace. Out of fear, very few women report incidents immediately, if ever.
What Can Black Men Do to help?
If you still do not believe that male privilege is a real thing, I cannot help you. You have some foundational issues that are beyond the scope of this post. For those of you who see a little clearer some of the negative affects of male privilege the rest of this post is for you.
If we as Black men — sons, brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers — love our mothers, sisters, aunts, wives or some other woman in our lives, the least we can do is recognize our position of privilege when compared to Black women. Regardless of whether we want to talk about or look at particular affordances our privilege provides us, we must at least recognize that we do have privileges, many of which Black women do not have.
If we do not acknowledge the privileges of being a Black man as compared to a Black woman, then we are just like the white people that do not acknowledge their position of privilege when compared to us.
