It has been over two weeks since I have returned from South Africa. In many regards, I hit the ground running when I got home and have not had the opportunity to really digest my experiences.
One of the biggest realizations has been how privileged I am. I had thought I unpacked the privileges I had, but as I walked through the townships in Johannesburg I felt the biggest sense of white guilt that I had ever felt. I didn't know what to do with it, and I didn't know who to talk to about it. In college I had read White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, and I had understood in the context of living in America. Africa provided a completely different perspective. While I was in South Africa and looking at the furrowed brow of toddlers I didn't know how to articulate it. But when people ask, before I show them pictures of lions and elephants, I tell them.
I don't know what to do with all of the privileges I have, but I am dedicated to try to use them for equality, equity, and good. There are many things that I can't change. However, I can be transparent about them...
In Solidarity,
Crys
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