![]() ![]() Washington explained that his role in “White Privilege II” was mostly that of an adviser, helping to hone the song’s message for maximum positive impact in the anti-racism space. ![]() As a precondition, Washington required that Macklemore attend a training session, “Undoing Racism,” with members of Youth Undoing Institutional Racism, which he did. Washington said he’d met Ben (as he called Macklemore) over a year ago, after one of his reps reached out to ask how the rapper could get involved. The first was Dustin Washington, a Seattle-based community organizer and anti-racism advocate who runs the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Both were black, and both were happy about the song’s existence or at least I assumed as much based on management’s willingness to make them available for interviews. The night before the track’s release, I spoke with two people who were involved in making it. The anxiety over how the nonwhites would perceive the song was understood and valid, but still nothing short of adorable. So, what’d they ask you? Wait, they hit you up about that, too? No one seemed to be insulted or taken aback it was just funny. The day before the song was released, “White Privilege II” emails were beginning to be traded. I don’t know everyone who got a stream, but none of the people I knew who did were white. A handful of people were sent early streams of the song by Macklemore’s reps. The song is filled with scenes, from Macklemore struggling to figure out his role as a protester, to Macklemore playing the role of his critics, to Macklemore playing the part of his fans, some of whom have misguided opinions on the world. The almost-nine-minute track is the follow-up to his 2005 song “White Privilege,” but to call it a sequel would be an oversimplification - it’s like graduating from high school and then graduating from college. ![]() It was Clinton’s answer that raced back into my head when I first heard the song “White Privilege II” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, on January 20, two days before its official release. And even though her answer was messy, at least she avoided the three most common pitfalls in discussing one’s own white privilege: pretending it doesn’t exist, saying it only applies to “some” white people (i.e., not them), and trying too hard to convince other people that they “get it.” In that moment, we got raw Hillary Clinton, someone who still has a long way to go in dealing with white privilege, just like the majority of white people - and the majority of privileged people in general. But even a clean, highly mulled-over answer to a question like this - the right answer - wouldn’t necessarily mean someone has actually dealt with her or his own privilege. It was like watching someone try to hit a home run, only to strike out after realizing mid-swing that they’ve never played baseball. But there was something refreshingly honest and earnest in her attempt. Clinton’s response could be described as “a collection of words.” While long, her answer was not good clearly caught off-guard, she told a rambling story about babysitting for migrant farmers that ran out the clock but didn’t really connect with the question she was asked. White privilege even made its way into the presidential race, when Hillary Clinton was asked in a forum what white privilege means to her and how she’s benefited from it. The chatter has continued into February, most notably around how brash black and white quarterbacks are judged differently, in both success and failure. From DeRay Mckesson teaching Stephen Colbert about the concept on The Late Show to Mark Ruffalo considering a boycott of this year’s very white Academy Awards on the basis of said privilege, it’s seeping into most corners of society, and quickly. Watching this happen is exciting, but also overwhelming in the way it is whenever a new idea is introduced to the mainstream. Seemingly each day meant another story about white privilege in the news. For the duration of January 2016, it was the foremost topic of conversation. ![]()
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