Privilege Line-Up
Long line / hold hands / up to you to identify self / if embarrassed
or uncomfortable don’t move,
no judgements
Leader asks participants to either take step forward or back, responding to prompt:
Alternative method is to ask students to visualize someone they know (a friend, neighbor, or even themselves) and fix the image of this person in their mind and be ready to "walk in their shoes". This can help to avoid stigmatisms.
1. If you are a man - take one step forward
2. woman - take one step backward
3. white - take one step forward
4. person of color - take one step backward
5. live feeling safe from harm and violence - take one step forward
6. any one in your family is in jail - take one step backward
7. ever been stopped by police due to your race or ethnicity- take one step
backward
8. been stopped in a store by a sales clerk who thought you were a thief -
take one step backward
9. called derogatory names - take one step backward
10. commonly see people who look like you on TV, movies, newspapers - take
one step forward
11. read or hear talk about racial groups as inferior - take one step backward
12. if considered less capable because of your age - take one step backward
13. raised in home with tons of books, everyone reads - take one step forward
14. been referred to Special Ed - take one step backward
15. parents are high school graduates - take one step forward
16. parents attended college - take one step forward
17. parents have a MA or Doctorate - take one step forward
18. have taken a course in high school on race or cultural diversity - take
one step forward
19. ancestors came to this country voluntarily - take one step forward
20. ancestors came to this country involuntarily - take one step backward
21. ancestors ever denied full rights/privileges due to race/ethnicity - take
one step backward
22. speak ESL - take one step backward
23. 2 parents raising you - take one step forward
24. 1 parent/guardian raising you - take one step backward
25. Christian - take one step forward
26. Non-Christian or non-belief system - take one step backward
27. If someone in family is not heterosexual - take one step backward
28. If overweight or fat - take one step backward
29. If play golf - take one step forward
Stop and turn around. Who is in front? Look at their gender. Look at the color
of their skin. Ask yourself why? Why are these in front and those in back?
What does this mean regarding injustices and inequalities in our society?
How can we change this? What does it feel like?
Process is very important! A follow-up session must
be held with participants, so as to insure that complete understanding and
empowerment has occured.