Library to hold student discussion on different forms of privilege

UO Libraries will host a campus discussion on the concept of privilege and give students a chance to examine how it relates to them and those around them.

 “Check(out) Your Privilege: A Facilitated Diversity Discussion” will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the Knight Library Browsing Room. The event is equal parts discussion group, book search, panel discussion and craft time.

The discussion will allow students to talk and ask questions about privilege in a safe environment, explore reading material on different types of privilege, and make buttons related to privilege using images from magazines and other media.

After a short introduction, groups will disperse around the library in breakout sessions focusing on five different types of privilege: white privilege, male privilege, cisgender privilege, straight privilege and economic privilege.

Rachel Lilley, assistant processing and public services archivist at UO Libraries, said she hopes the event will help attendees push back against their own privilege.

“I think most folks’ reaction to the word ‘privilege’ is guilt,” Lilley said. “The point is not to make people feel guilty; it’s to help them think about what privilege looks like and the actions they can take.”

Refreshments will be served after the event.