The ACE trip to South Africa has helped me to better understand my privilege and the importance of giving back. Before participating in ACE, I knew that I had certain privileges due to being born with white skin in America. However, my time in South Africa has helped me to more fully realize that privilege extends far beyond race. For example, working in Langa made me fully aware of my socioeconomic privilege. For example, I have never had to worry about having food on the table or a warm jacket in the winter. Attending Duke University and having the opportunity to compete at a high level are additional privileges that I probably don’t contemplate enough. Moreover, I have come to realize that I am extremely privileged when it comes to my relationships. I have friends and family who are very invested in my success. Their encouragement, combined with their resources, has led me to where I am today.
About two weeks ago, I watched a group of girls and boys play rugby. These children were phenomenal at the game and were far more coordinated than I was at their age. Not only were they agile and energetic, but they also had an amazing sense of field awareness. I watched in astonishment as they called plays and drove the ball down the field with ease. My first thought was, “Wow! These kids could play in college.” Then, it hit me that their road to college would look very different from mine. At their age, I was given all the gear necessary to be successful in each and every sport I played. Watching them, it was hard not to notice that in the middle of winter, many of the kids were wearing slides or no shoes at all. In that moment, I realized that lack of resources and opportunity, not lack of talent, would prevent the large majority of these kids from playing collegiately. Before this experience, I believed that I was successful in my sport (swimming) because I worked hard and had some natural athletic ability. I do work hard. That said, much of my success in swimming is due to my parents, who paid for my training fees and gear, brought me to practice and competitions, and pushed me when I needed to be pushed. I have also been fortunate to have coaches who believe in me, secure resources to make me a better athlete, celebrate my successes, and help me problem solve when I underperform.
As I walk away from ACE in South Africa, I have a better understanding of the opportunities that I was given because I worked hard, along with those that I was lucky enough to be given because of the family and community that I was born into. The first step is recognizing privilege and then doing something about it. As Noam Chomsky says, “The more privilege you have, the more opportunity you have. The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have.” With this knowledge, I will continue to advocate for those who have been given less than me. Rather than simply feeling guilty about the privileges I was born with, I will work on using my resources to support others.