Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Forum

I found this reading to be disappointing. As a person who has experience living in

a system that oppresses me, both from a gender perspective and from a racial perspective,
I was hoping that this article would give some insight on how we as a people are
changing the institutionally racist system that we live in. However, just like with the other
readings and lectures that we have paid attention to, this article did one thing and one
thing only, address the fact that racism exists. This is a fact that I, and many others like
me, have known since early childhood. This is not a new concept. Racism has existed for
centuries, and Institutional Racism has been in place since humans crafted ways to travel
long distances. A fear of the unknown morphed into a hatred of differences and led to
both spoken and unspoken laws that advantaged those like the lawmakers.
The United States has an extremely gruesome history of mass genocide based on
differences in both religion and "race", yet the descendants of those same crimes have
been placed into system, designed by their ancestors, that allows them to learn about the
past while distancing themselves from the actions of others. As an African-American, I
remember all of the uncomfortable looks directed at me when discussing the history of
African Slavery in the United States, as if I, or someone that I personally know, had been
a slave. Yet these same glances disappeared when the talking about the murder of
thousands of Native Americans by White European Immigrants. None of the caucasian
children in class looked at each other with discomfort or thought "that could have been
my grandpa!" How we are educated plays a huge roll in how we see the world, a fact that
Ms. McIntosh mentioned often.

As happy as I may be that "white" privilege is FINALLY being acknowledged

(even on such a small scale), it does nothing to change the fact that those in power are
doing absolutely nothing to change the system. So far, the majority, if not all, of the
writers that we have studied in this class regarding white privilege have been just that,
white. We hear nothing about the experiences of those who have actually lived through a
system of institutional oppression. The media portrays us as whining, complaining, selfseeking, or ignorant. They convince us that racism exists solely on a personal level and
that it consists only of discrimination of a single group of people. With this definition
comes the possibility of racism toward the privileged group, which they are then able to
use to continue to oppress a group that is being disadvantaged at every step.
Everything that Ms. McIntosh stated in her article was true. Every bullet on that list and
every word on those pages was a step in the right direction. But sadly, its just not enough.
There will never be a change in this system until those in power make the conscious
decision to use the advantages granted to them to change the system, and in doing this,
they will lose those same advantages.
Regardless of everything that I've written in this reflection, my opinion on this
matter will never be held to the esteem or extent that it is purposed for. As Ms. McIntosh
noted as number 30 on her list "If I declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a
racial issue at hand, my race will lend me more credibility for either position than a
person of color will have." And this is true regardless of the experiences that I have faced
as an African-American woman living in an institutionally racist society that was built to
oppress me.
So yes, I was inherently disappointed by this reading because of it's ineptitude to

change the world in which we live.

Voice of Witness Forum

Dolores' story made me realize that history affects everyone, even those who don't
want to be involved. All Mrs. Wilson wanted was a family and a home, and those things
were taken from her by circumstances beyond her control. She couldn't help that the
housing agencies in the '50s were overpriced, but she paid them anyway. She couldn't
help that the busses were slow, but they affecter her decision to live in an apartment
instead of a house. It was beyond her control that gangs were taking over her
neighborhood, but her and her husband did their best to keep their friends and family
members out of danger. Although Mrs. Wilson was forced to move multiple times, it was
the last time that was most traumatic because it wasn't for the sake of progress. When she
moved with her husband and children, it was because he got a promotion, but when she
moved by herself it was because the government said she had to. It also made it clear that
the government doesn't have much compassion or sympathy for the people that they were
displacing. No one told her that she could put her things in storage and her and her
daughter got one less truck than they were promised. Because she was rushed, a lot of the
happy memories that she had about her family and her home were replaced by bitter
memories of how she had to relocate. Mrs. Wilson's story may seem simple, but it's
extremely important because it gives us a sense of perspective. There are ordinary people
with ordinary lives that are directly affected by events that they can't control and aren't
considered when making decisions that could completely change their lives. It made me

realize how many issues are being headed by people that aren't affected by their
decisions. And that needs to change quickly.

Homelessness Forum

Homelessness is obviously an imminent problem facing our society today.

Thousands find themselves without reliable and stable forms of food and shelter, finding
themselves settling for living under bridges and in the woods. As I see it, the problem of
homelessness is a result of multiple previous factors and a cause of many more. Loss of
job due to a dip in the economy or a falling out with a family member can be a personal
cause of homelessness. However, once you become homeless it can seem impossible to
get out of that situation. Without an address it can be difficult or even impossible to find a
stable job with decent wages. What I appreciated about Moore Place was it's ability to
eliminate the problem of the address. What I didn't like was that there was no end date. I
may not know the circumstances of all that live there but I feel like once people are able
to get back on their feet they should be required to go out on their own. The ability to stay
there indefinitely without payment can undermine the intention of Moore Place. It also
causes a demand for more space. Rather than aiding or rehabilitating the homeless and
assisting in their reentry into society with things like jobs and their own place to live, it
kind of pacifies them. There are no pre-requisites (sobriety) and no set amount of time
that they can stay. The longer that people stay in the apartments provided for them the
more apartments will need to be built as more and more homeless people find out about
this opportunity.

Although I do believe that a citizen is a member of a community that aims to do

what is best for their community, I also strongly believe in the priority of the individual.
It doesn't make sense to me that each citizen should in some way be held responsible for
each other. It should not be my responsibility to make sure that someone that I've never
met before has eaten or has shelter. It should be my choice whether or not I decide to help
someone and I shouldn't be guilted into it. As I said, I do not know the personal situations
and challenges faced by those that are homeless and live in Moore Place, however, they
also do not know my personal situation. There's a lot of pressure for people to donate or
volunteer without considering that people are also trying to provide for their own
families. I just think that everyone needs to be more considerate of each others personal
situations even if we may not know the details.