The misconception of White Pride

When one thinks of black pride, there are many images that flood the mind. Perhaps, Martin Luther King Jr. giving a riveting speech or a group of Black Panthers rallying for equality. When a person hears of gay pride, other iconic thoughts might manifest as well, such as Harvey Milk's life story, the nation's first openly gay man elected to public office. But for some inexplicable reason, the idea of white pride only stirs up hateful memories in some and racist undertones. This is not a fair representation of what white pride should truly embody.

Young women, homosexuals, African-Americans and various other groups have been engrained with the notion that pride for whom they are is nothing of which to be ashamed; just open any history book. Annual gay pride parades are even held throughout the country where a relentless encouragement of the gay lifestyle takes up entire streets.

However, in American culture, a mention of white pride seems to infer a sense of racist superiority that doesn't seem to appear when nearly any other form is brought up. Things such as the KKK, the Nazi party, and the fact that many whites were once slave owners seems to have tainted the modern notion of whites being proud of their race. Atrocities throughout the world have occurred everywhere involving people of all races and beliefs. To attribute racism to white pride exclusively is ignorant and unfair to the millions of productive white Americans.

If Latino and African-American children are brought up with a healthy appreciation for their lineage, why not whites, as well? White youths are exposed to images of their ethnicity enslaving, burning crosses, and putting other races in camps. This is in stark contrast to groups, such as blacks and gays, that are portrayed as wanting nothing more than equality from the get-go.

Whites have contributed just as much to the growth of the U.S. as any other race and yet they've been virtually ignored throughout modern history in the sense of being appreciated as a race. Famous white contributors such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and the Wright Brothers are among the many well-known white pioneers. And yet there are no positive interest groups emphasizing a healthy sense of white pride. There are no dates or months on American calendars dedicated to the achievements of white people or any annual parades in which their heritage is celebrated.

There are more than four months recognized nationally as a heritage month for different subsets of people including African-Americans, Latinos, Asian/Pacific-Americans, and Lesbian-Gays. But there's not even a week of appreciation for whites. It is, for the most part, true that white people specifically have not been the victims of much civil persecution, but since when is that why we celebrate one's racial heritage?

There should be no reason to exclude acknowledgment of an entire group of people without a truly justifiable reason. On top of this, the biggest part of celebrating one's lineage is to look back on the achievements of that group, both social and otherwise. There should be a designated time for white appreciation, such as Anglo-American Month. In many ways, there's an argument to be made for there simply being no 'appreciation months'. They seem to bring intense focus on the things that separate us as a culture, as opposed to the things that bring us together. Being ashamed of that which makes us different is definitely no way to live, but to have a specific pride for personal traits that, in reality, should never matter when discussing the merits of a person, seems like a step in the wrong direction.

Nonetheless, if we are going to have these months, it seems counterproductive to exclude any race or denomination, especially one as prominent as Anglo-Americans. We should be celebrating the achievements of every type of American citizen so we can paint a more accurate picture of what America is as a whole. Even if we have to do it one month at a time.

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