I created this meme as I believe it reflects the ongoing crisis happening in North America to African American men and, in some cases, Indigenous men. As stated in our module, “one of the most significant features of white privilege is that those who experience it do not have to think about it.” This is clear in the United States. Epistemic privilege, the inability to perceive one’s privilege produced due to racial inequality, is evident in traffic stops across North America. As white people, we do not need to fear law enforcement and what happens to us when we are pulled over; the same cannot be said for every race.
While looking for a meme to create, I looked at specific news articles that inspired my interest. While it is most known for happening in the United States, it does happen in Canada. The City of Montreal commission released a report in 2019 that looked into traffic stops. Indigenous people and black people were four to five times more likely than white people to be stopped by police (Apollonio 2021). Also stated in a CBC article by Desmond Cole, a black activist, “White folks are benefiting from this violence because the police are here to protect white people and their property” (CBC Radio 2020). It is evident that there are significant issues with white privilege when it comes to law enforcement.
References
Apollonio, Mark. (2021). I’m scared every day,” says Montreal driver stopped by police dozens of times. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/i-m-scared-every-day-says-montreal-driver-stopped-by-police-dozens-of-times-1.5861706
CBC Radio. (2021). Police brutality continually treated like a “one-off” in Canada, says Desmond Cole. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-1-2020-1.5592953/police-brutality-continually-treated-like-a-one-off-in-canada-says-desmond-cole-1.5592954