I'm a white male who comes from extreme poverty. I started life in a whole and, just now, at age thirty-four, after a ten year career in the military, I am just now a year and a half away from a degree and "the white man's expected career path." I am fourteen years behind the curve. My expected earnings potential from a "normal" career path is extremely limited, because my age is going to be seen as a handicap when I have the industry experience needed to apply for senior management positions.
Even white men can be passed over as inferior to other white men... or anyone else. A young, articulate black woman from a family of reasonable means is going to have a much better life than I am, simply because she started farther up the ladder. My goal is to make sure my kids have every advantage possible, and that's really all I can do. That being said, a black person who starts off in poverty is going to have at least as hard a time or harder as a white person in a similar position. A woman is going to have as hard a time or harder as a man in a similar position.
What positions we are in is all relative. Gender isn't the most important qualifier. Race isn't the most important qualifier. Family wealth isn't the most important qualifier. But they do all work together to paint a picture of struggle. Undoubtedly, a black woman from a poor family faces more challenges than anyone else in this country. That being said, a white woman can easily identify with discrimination. And so can a white man, for that matter.
