Privilege

Privilege

While your ancestors were in search of whether or not they should invest in the next stock or start their own diner, my ancestors were fighting to get hired at the local fast food place. While your ancestors spent their days planning, saving and striving to succeed in every facet of live, mine spent their days praying, fasting, and hiding in fear of more severe creative antics at amplifying oppression by authorities and even mere strangers of an opposing race. While your ancestors bought homes, mine were placed in fixed income housing and mounted in setbacks such as unlikelihood of getting history books or even clean schools. While your ancestors were getting hired at fortune 500 companies, mine were scraping up pennies to make ends meet and resorting to entrepreneurial efforts such as drug exchange and prostitution. While your ancestors were elected as governmental officials, mine were undermined and forced to feel inferior through mass incarceration without probable cause and brutal beatings leading to unexplained deaths. While your ancestors were given the opportunity to collaborate and incorporate group efforts at success, my ancestors were forced to compete with each other for jobs as there can only be one minority in an office. While your ancestors went to the salon for a quick wash and blow-out, mine struggled in the home-made salon kitchen with hot combs, flat-irons, and extensions. My ancestors fried and died and steamed and pressed until their fingers were numb in order to meet a standard, uphold an acceptable appearance in society when their God-given tresses will do. My ancestors had to separate the male fathers from the family because they were not allowed to marry, leaving the strong male as a hot commodity to be traded. Without even mentioning the race, can you enlighten me on the two contrasting ancestorial narratives I am portraying?