Posted on 07/12/2016 9:21:16 AM PDT by Cecily
A video of a white high school student publicly talking about race has gone viral, but not for the reasons one might expect when they hear the phrase 'privileged white teenager'.
In May, 14-year-old Royce Mann participated in a poetry slam at his private school in Atlanta, Georgia and took home the first place prize for the poem he wrote, which he called White Boy Privilege.
In it, the eighth grader is brutally honest about the ways in which he better off because he isn't black, Asian-American, Native American, or a woman — and signs off with a call to action to change that. Though the video was filmed at the Paideia School in May, it has recently gained momentum online after being posted on YouTube by Royce's mom, Sheri Mann Stewart.
As the clip begins, a fellow student introduces him to the audience, which is made up of other kids and teachers. Royce takes the microphone and announces the name of his poem — leading to a few hushed whispers through the room before he starts.
'Dear women, I’m sorry,' he starts. 'Dear black people, I’m sorry. Dear Asian-Americans, dear Native Americans, dear immigrants who come here seeking a better life, I’m sorry.
'Dear everyone who isn’t a middle or upper class white boy, I’m sorry. I have started life on the top of the ladder while you were born on the first rung.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I think that maybe the fact that he comes from such a diverse background and feels privileged puts the lie to the entire premise of his poem. The fact is that the United States of America has long recognized the contributions of immigrant groups, and he and his family are living proof of that.
>>That must mean I have white privilege too, even though I’m black.
I’m not sure how that works. I know that the “oppressed minority” status of black and Hispanic men seems to carry over to their white wives.
which whites do not have a lock on.
actually, i believe asians are more likely to have two parent households then whites.
black families not staying together has absolutely nothing to do with other people, let alone other races. http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/107-children-in-single-parent-families-by#detailed/1/any/false/869,36,868,867,133/10,11,9,12,1,185,13/432,431
The “privilege” mostly comes from growing up in a stable two-parent (that’s male and female) home.
which whites do not have a lock on.
actually, i believe asians are more likely to have two parent households then whites.
black families not staying together has absolutely nothing to do with other people, let alone other races.
http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/107-children-in-single-parent-families-by
Holy sh*tsky, that means there’s still hope for me. Hard work be damned.
This naive child fails to understand that although he is indeed “privileged” it’s not because he is “white”; it’s because he is an American.
I’ve gotta start working harder to make him feel oppressed.
Wow, to think at age 14 this kid has such life experience....
Indeed it’s why everyone wants to hire a teenager while they still know everything and they want the $15.00 per hour.
It is taking root, I hear it ALL the time from my kids friends/work associates. It’s a tough one to fight against as they have been schooled so completely and have an answer for every counter point I bring to their self induced hatred.
Whoever got this launched should be flushed out and put on full display.
Some white privilege.
Wait till he can’t get a job because of his *privilege and all the hyphen Americans and women are being hired as part of affirmative action.
My son is where he is on his own merit, not because of his gender or skin color.
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