+

A religious group wants everyone to try on a pair of white privilege glasses.

White privilege isn't always an easy concept to explain to someone who's lived with it their whole life.

Tim Wise, an author and antiracism educator, explains white privilege as "any advantage, opportunity, benefit, head start, or general protection from negative societal mistreatment, which persons deemed white will typically enjoy, but which others will generally not enjoy."

But what exactly does that mean? How does it work?


What if explaining white privilege were as simple as showing someone what it's like to live without it?

Chicago Theological Seminary, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ but educates future ministry leaders in 40 different faiths, wanted to find an easy way to explain white privilege. Their idea? White privilege glasses.

Yes, you read that right. Magical glasses, if you will.

Photo via Chicago Theological Seminary, used with permission.

What if folks who are accustomed to living with privilege could put on a pair of glasses that showed them life without it — in real time?

So when someone says, "Yeah, I'm not really sure about this white privilege thing..."

GIFs via Chicago Theological Seminary/YouTube.

...we could just whip out a pair of glasses!

Glasses that would show people how different the experience of simply walking down the street can be for a person of color.

And how seemingly innocuous signs can mean something entirely different.

Glasses that would make ordinary grocery store trips a little more ominous.

And police encounters disconcerting — and more dangerous.

Unfortunately, it's not quite that easy to show people their privilege. But it's inspiring to see a religious organization leading the charge against systemic racism.

Alice Hunt, president of the Chicago Theological Seminary (and who's white), told Upworthy she'd like to see religious organizations lead instead of follow when it comes to the important issues we face as a society, and she considers racism the preeminent one.

"I would like to see religious organizations say, 'We have a responsibility because of our faith in God. We are called to make the world a better place,'" she said.

And her organization isn't the only faith-based group tackling the problem head on.

Image by Phil Roeder/Flickr.

For example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been making an effort to recognize and confront racism, including systemic issues such as inequality in the criminal justice system.

This particular religious organization is the second-least diverse one in the country, according to recent Pew research, with 96% of its congregation being made up with white folks. And that makes the conversation particularly important.

Imagine the ripple effect if all religious organizations would engage in these talks with open minds — and subsequently navigate the world differently.

The first step toward change, Hunt says, is being willing to have these difficult conversations.

She also maintains that the responsibility to talk about privilege and racism lies with white people, not people of color, because we have the power to change it. Her organization created the white privilege glasses video, she explained, for white people who are unaware — because they've never had a reason or opportunity to be aware — to have their eyes opened.

And she dropped some cold, hard truth: "The only people who have the opportunity to think that racism doesn’t exist are white people," she stated simply.

The great news is that every single one of us can do something as individuals, and it starts by seeing our privilege for what it is. We may not have special glasses that do it for us, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to open our eyes a little wider.

You can watch the full white privilege glasses video here. It's short, but it delivers a strong, important lesson.

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
@penslucero/TikTok

Pency Lucero taking in the Northern Lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.

Keep ReadingShow less

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less