Unveiling Positions of Privilege: A Hands-On Approach to Understanding Racism

Abstract

In this article, I describe a classroom exercise used to assist White undergraduates in recognizing their racial privilege and the effects of institutional racism. While working in collaborative groups to construct mobiles, students unknowingly assume roles and behaviors analogous to those held by members of dominant and nondominant racial and social-class groups in the larger society. Students' written reflections at the conclusion of the class session provide evidence of the activity's effectiveness in helping students gain new insights about the privileged positions they hold in society and the ways those positions influence their perceptions of others.