View the video Free Indeed and discuss questions in the accompanying study guide. Free Indeed explores the realities of White privilege among young adults wanting to do a service project in a Black community.

If you are doing this study in an all-White congregation, you may want to consider inviting a person of color to monitor this discussion. Don't invite a person of color in to fill this role unless you are clear why you are doing so. Given that privileges of any kind are difficult to identify by those who receive them, having someone present who is aware of the idea of White privilege and can provide additional feedback can sharpen the process of identification.

The process can be somewhat uncomfortable for those who are not used to such accountability, but it can also result in new, deeper growth for the group. Introduce the listener(s) and be sure to set aside adequate time at the end of the class for them to share feedback. This idea may be used in this session or other sessions.

Read privileges collected and put on news sheets. Identify different privilege areas. Examples: assumptions of trustworthiness; ability to fit in; access to information, job networks, family resources; control of time; setting norms and standards of behavior, dress, etc.

Pick one privilege and plan how to respond to situation either through brainstorming or role play. For example, someone is invited to be part of a board that has no people of color on it. The person responds by saying, "It's not my turn."

1. The author states "my Whiteness is probably the foremost determiner of success or failure in the life ahead of me" (103). Ask class members to physically position themselves on a continuum with one side of the room representing complete agreement and the other side complete disagreement. Ask for representative comments about why people have positioned themselves where they have.

2. In a very brief section (105-107), Whiteness and race are described as myths. Re-read this section carefully. What beliefs have you been taught about the "races"? What physical or mental attributes have been assigned to which groups? Does this section suggest those characteristics have any "scientific basis"? Did those who have come to be called White lose anything in the process? For a fuller discussion of race see the accompanying handout, "Race as science."

3. Do those of us who are White have to know about White privileges for them to be given to us? Do we have to be aware of them for the privilege to come our way? Dale Taylor, a Mennonite Central Committee Canada executive, observes that White folks don't have to see the privilege because it is behind us holding us up. How can we encourage each other to be more honest about the privileges we receive? How can we learn the skills to identify them around us?

4. At this point, over half-way through the study, how are you feeling? Do you identify any of the emotions outlined in this chapter (112-113)? Strong emotions are to be expected in a discussion of an issue that gets so directly to core understanding of identity. Take time to share those emotions, explore their source, recognize that a similar cycle to that of grieving may also be in place.

Read Chapter 8: How Can We Celebrate Our Cultures.

Bring in one item from your culture that causes you to celebrate.