POC. WOC. Privilege. White privilege. 

These were all terms that I had to learn once I moved to America from the Philippines, new words that were just as foreign to me as the new country. 

As young as I was, I began to realize that these were the words that would become vital in the way that society would view me, an immigrant woman of color.
It wasn’t until I was in high school that I truly figured out what privilege is. Privilege is the advantages that certain groups of people have over others, and in our society, it is heavily based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexualities. 

White privilege stems from the longstanding history of the unconscious advantages given to white individuals, instances where they don’t worry about their representation in media and entertainment, where stereotypes don’t rule them in the way that they do for minorities. 

But it goes so far to the point where one begins to question those with privilege. 

Being in a public high school allows for us to discuss delicate themes, such as politics, religion, and more. The books we read explore topics that can be difficult to digest, but I firmly believe it only furthers our own intelligence, both socially and on a more factual-based side. 

Socratic seminars, debates, articles, and essays. Books such as “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler, “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, and so many more. They are all a part of our school curriculum. 

Our academics, especially at Los Osos High School,  provide the space for us to voice our opinions and our concerns. For me, my concern lies deeply where many people tend to lose their empathy in these debates, whether out of favor for wanting to be right or for genuinely not knowing a true difficulty that others in lower standing face. 

Do people not think before they speak anymore? Do people no longer educate themselves before opening their mouth to say something that can be so widely out-of-touch and offensive? 

This is also a large part as to why I love reading historical fiction and books by people of color, all of which explore the difficulties and struggles that those minorities face, and also uplifts, empowers, and inspires the marginalized groups. 

I advocate heavily for these pieces of literature, especially in school systems because of the perspectives they provide that aren’t always going to be showcased, or represented properly, in textbooks or normal school curriculum. 

So, really, it’s a matter of being educated and taking the time to examine privilege with this knowledge and embrace the stories that are being told of suppressed groups to truly understand the root of privilege and how to dismantle it. 

It is in this that people will begin to learn to care, and to learn to be empathetic for those who have been suppressed for so long. 

But to start creating an informed and compassionate society, we must first confront and acknowledge it for what it is: privilege.