It has only been a week since the beginning of my Psychology of Racism class, and I am astonished how much I have learned in the past seven days. I grew up in a liberal and tolerant family that stressed the importance of accepting others regardless of physical, ideological, social and cultural differences. Resulting from this upbringing, I have considered myself nonjudgmental towards others, but I realized this past week that no amount of open-mindedness in my household changes the fact that without knowledgeable intent I benefited many times from my status as a white female. In the Uprooting Racism text by Paul Kivel, he included a “white benefits checklist” that detailed several advantages of belonging to the dominant racial group in the United States. This checklist revolutionized my perspective on how racism has undeservedly benefited my family and self. My grandfather received his master degree in Economics because of benefits related to the G.I. bill which denied many people of color veteran’s benefits. He subsequently worked in the agricultural department for the government, an occupation that provided a considerable pension which helped significantly with paying my college tuition. I attended a well-funded school in the suburbs of Minneapolis with teachers and counselors who encouraged me to continue with education. I grew up in secure and police-protected neighborhood with reliable access to quality medical services. I see people of my race represented extensively in many forms of media. This list, which hardly encompasses all of the advantages I have received through white privilege, made me realize how oblivious I have been in recognizing my how racism impacts (and benefits) me personally.