Would it really be a White Privilege Conference without any white privilege? Apparently not.
Attendees of the 17th Annual 2016 White Privilege Conference (WPC, for short) in Philadelphia were there to “challeng[e the] concepts of privilege and oppression and offer solutions and team building strategies to work toward a more equitable world.” But they apparently couldn’t escape the inescapable: the dastardly cultural constructs that give white people a distinct advantage in everything from keynote speech length to classroom door operation.
Fortunately, there were plenty of activists on hand at the White Privilege Conference to call out the activists of the white privilege conference. Using the hashtag #WPCSoWhite (a version of #OscarsSoWhite), they made sure social media understood the impact of such rampant oppression
Oh, and did it ever.
How dare such a thing be allowed to happen?
The disaster of understanding culminated in the keynote speech, delivered by Jim Loewen, a demonstrably progressive sociologist, respected professor of African American Studies and perhaps the country’s leading expert on racism in the deep south during the Confederacy and beyond. Little did Prof. Loewen know, as he was delivering his speech, that his very act of speaking to the audience was cause for concern.
To Dr. Loewen’s credit, he responded:
But it was to no avail, as he had committed a second sin.
And a third.