White Privilege Pop Quiz: The Test You Can’t Fail / Molly Secours

White Privilege Pop Quiz: The Test You Can’t Fail / Molly Secours

With humor and compassion, Molly Secours deftly navigates the murky waters of racial bias and encourages honest discussion.
Secours effectively reveals how even those with ‘good intentions’ inadvertently promote division and disparity.
By asking ourselves a few key questions, we develop empathy while learning how a lack of

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inquiry can perpetuate ‘white privilege’ and inequity in our communities.

Exploring Whiteness and privilege is a daunting task simply because there are so many fears working against peeking under these covers. For many, there is a fear that if we look too closely, we might be horrified that someone we don’t want to know lives within us and we will be forced to feel bad about ourselves. If this sounds overly dramatic, it is because facing issues of race head-on is emotionally loaded and why most of us avoid it.
The pop-quiz is comprised of questions that help set a context for discussing this thing called White privilege and serves to help people understand what it means to possess it. The quiz is meant to dispel any mystery or skepticism about the existence of privilege for those who have never given it much, if any, thought. After all, the number one privilege of Whiteness is to not have to think about it, therein denying its existence.
Unlike a pop quiz at school, there are no wrong answers, only truthful ones. There is no scoring, but if you answer number three or four for most or many of the questions, there’s a good chance you are someone who is familiar with White privilege and experience it on a daily basis.
Each chapter begins with a multiple-choice question meant to reveal, inform and inspire more questions about Whiteness and the system invented to promote Whiteness than you have ever entertained before. The hope is that perhaps the quiz will point you in a new direction —to think more deeply and behave more consciously.


Molly was voted one of “Nashville’s most influential public intellectuals” by Nashville Scene Magazine and her video work with incarcerated youth has put her on the national stage for almost 15 years.

For over 10 years, Secours’ writings have appeared in over 50 mainstream and internet magazines and newspapers. In addition to numerous radio and television appearances, she is a host on “Beneath The Spin” a weekly radio show on WFSK at the historic Fisk University campus in Nashville TN. She also pens a weekly column of the same name (“Beneath The Spin”) on Blackcommentator.com, where Secours tackles issues such as racism, white privilege, juvenile justice, health care disparities, and reparations for slavery. On the ABC television Nashville affiliate WKRN, Secours also serves as a regular weekly commentator on a political news program called “This Week with Bob Mueller”. In Spring of 2007 Secours appeared on CNN’s Paula Zahn Now with Roland Martin to discuss the issue of ‘self segregation’.

In 1998, Secours was invited to serve as an Advisory Board Member at Fisk University’s Race Relations Institute in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2000, she presented an intervention to the United Nations in Santiago, Chile, proposing that the U.S. “repudiate the official histories and language(s) that maintain the hegemonic and unearned privileges accorded to those who are identified as ‘white’.” During the Summer of 2001, Secours attended the United Nations Prep-com in Geneva, Switzerland, and, as a journalist, covered the 2001 World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa.

Secours is a contributing writer in Dr. Ray Winbush’s book Should America Pay? (Harper Collins 2003). Her chapter, entitled “Riding the Reparations Bandwagon,” addresses issues of white privilege and reparations for the African Slave Trade. She has also co-created a workshop entitled “Straight Talk About Race – a dialog in black in white” which she co-facilitates with Dr. Raymond Winbush, the Director of Urban Research at Morgan State University in Baltimore MD.

Voted one of “Nashville’s most influential public intellectuals” in 2001, Secours is a strong presence in the community. She uses her skills as a writer and orator to challenge state and local officials to carefully consider the state’s position on the death penalty and racial disparities in criminal justice and health care.

Through her film company “One Woman Show Productions” and her documentary films, Secours has earned national recognition in the world of social justice. She has produced videos for Death Penalty Institute and Free Speech TV and her most recent documentary “Faces Of TennCare: Putting A Human Face On Tennessee’s Health Care Failure” is currently being aired on The Documentary Channel. Casting a national spotlight on Tennessee’s health care crisis, the film has been praised by members of the United States Congress including representatives John Conyers, Jesse Jackson Jr. and from Senator Edward Kennedy.

As the creator and co-founder of Youth Voice Through Video (Y.V.T.V.) Secours teaches video-making to juvenile offenders and incarcerated youth. Her passion for issues relevant to young people in the juvenile justice system makes her a sought-after motivational speaker for at-risk youth.

WHAT SCHOOLS ARE SAYING

Ms. Secours just spoke on our campus last week. She did an excellent job of framing the discussion of privilege along lines of race. Her personal stories and experiences were profound and dynamic leaving what I believe to have been a significant impact on a number of our students in attendance. I strongly recommend her to other campuses.

Amer A
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Concordia College

I found Molly to be very insightful and thought provoking. I still have students who attended the event coming to my office and/or stopping me to comment on how much Molly made them think about Race and Racism. Molly’s presentation was very accessible to students and that was a very important component. I also enjoyed her personality and the ease with which she approached and communicated with people. It was a delight having her on campus. I plan to call her before the end of the week to check in.

Moise St. Louis
Asst. Dean of Students
St. Michael’s College

Molly was incredible – as everyone that saw her told me. She was reasonable and powerful and we are thrilled to have had her here. It was an incredibly stress-free event to plan, and I wanted to thank you for your patience with this overextended student. I’ll be sure to pass on your and Molly’s information to whomever works on my commission next year.

Matt H
Chair, Student Assembly
University of Michigan / Ann Arbor

Molly’s program went very well. I personally enjoyed her talk and from what I have heard many of our students did as well. Molly connected with the audience in a way that was engaging and kept students attention. It truly was a worthwhile program for our college and student body. I hope Molly enjoyed her time at Augustana as well and we will definitely be looking into bringing Molly’s program back in future years.

John B.
Augustana, IL

Category : Diversity and Multicultural &Speakers

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