People of predominantly white backgrounds are sometimes quick to play the "white guilt card" to justify their privileged position in society. Negative connotations are typically attached to the term, suggesting that the individual in question is trying to shift blame away from themselves by citing feelings of guilt. But there's another angle to view the white man's culpability. We might see it as a constructive force for progress rather than harmful. Some people's sorrow over their privilege indicates that they are self- aware. The very first step toward improvement is self-awareness. 

Getting more people to recognize their privilege is a first step toward bringing down the oppression systems that thrive on it. Let's reframe the white guilt card from a source of shame into a means of personal growth and development.

What Is The White Guilt Card?

The white guilt card is the complete opposite of the white privilege card. White privilege is a system of advantages and benefits that white people have over non-white people. This can be in the form of access to education, employment, housing, and other social privileges. White guilt is feeling guilty or responsible for the oppression of non-white people.

A white guilt card ensures that you consider humanity more important than color, race, etc. For us, not only do black lives matter, but we are against the sense of white fragility and proudly say that “all lives matter.”

Avoid White Privilege Card

Many white folks pull the "white guilt card" whenever the topic of race arises. People do this by making excuses for their own racism or racial insensitivity, such as "I'm not racist; I have black friends!" or "I can't be racist; I'm engaged to a black person." or "Black lives matter just as much as White ones."

To be sure, having allies in the battle against racism is crucial, but relying on your white privilege as an excuse to evade responsibilities is counterproductive. It's counterproductive, causing more problems than it solves.

By claiming you are not racist, white guilt is a way of avoiding responsibility for racism. Racial prejudice, however, is more systemic than any one person. The system favors whites and discriminates against persons of color.