A Brooklyn-based journalist calculated exactly how much racism and white privilege have benefited her financially, down to the last penny: a whopping $371,000.
In her new book, ‘The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism,’ author Tracie McMillan claims that being white has generated a benefit worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
McMillan obtained the number, in part, by tracking the amount of money he received from his family over the years, money he claims his family was able to save for generations because of his whiteness.
His final sum featured heavily in educational loans he received from his grandfather, totaling $52,784.33.
McMillan, a graduate of New York University, where she studied political science, maintains that her grandfather was able to give her this money because he had been able to accumulate wealth over the years thanks to his whiteness.
In her new book, ‘The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism,’ author Tracie McMillan claims that being white has generated a benefit worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She maintains that her grandfather’s wealth was based on benefits earned from the GI Bill, a post-World War II law that helped military veterans attend school and receive job training.
The Brooklyn-based writer maintains that the GI Bill “vastly favored whites” and therefore benefited her grandfather at the expense of non-whites.
McMillan also received $40,384.72 as an inheritance from his grandfather, which, again, he maintains was money that was due to his grandfather’s whiteness.
He also received $15,086.74 from his parents, which he vaguely referred to as a gift. McMillan, in a graphic posted on their website, does not explain why this “parental gift” was attributable to their whiteness.
The writer also cites “avoiding foster care” as a consequence of his whiteness, which is a statement that almost suggests that all non-whites are automatically in foster care.
She estimates the value of avoiding foster care at $15,771.37.
But McMillan claims the money he received from his family is only part of his “white bonus.”
The NYU graduate maintains that her rent-stabilized apartment has saved her $1,319.86 in costs due to discrimination she never faced since she is white.
Another white privilege was her “tutoring job with Maggie,” for which she claims to have received $26,858.04 more than non-white tutors.
And McMillan also claims he has been saved $37,488.11 in credit discrimination by accessing credit.
Explaining her calculation to CNN, the Brooklyn journalist said, “I estimate $146,000 my family probably had because of racism.”
When asked why she wrote the book, McMillan said, “I hope that non-white readers feel seen too, that someone who is white sees how this is happening.”
When McMillan announced his new book tour on X.com, formerly Twitter, some commentators criticized the book’s premise. One user wrote: ‘Maybe we should relabel white privilege as “upper middle class white” privilege. Since many of us who grew up poor did not have the “bonuses” that you enjoyed.
‘I estimate $225,000 of money that I have had access to or capital that I have gained probably because I was white. It’s almost $400,000.’
When asked why she wrote the book, McMillan said, “I hope that non-white readers feel seen too, that someone who is white sees how this is happening.”
McMillan insists his estimate of nearly $400,000 only scratches the surface.
‘These are all back-of-the-envelope estimates. They are essential minimums.’
‘The White Bonus,’ McMillan’s new book, focuses on how white privilege benefits the middle class because ‘the middle class is really the fulcrum for white advantage in America.’
In his book, McMillan makes his argument that all white families in America have benefited because of their race.
“White people today don’t understand, because previous generations have hidden this story from them, that someone in their family got something because they were white.”
When McMillan announced his new book tour on X.com, formerly Twitter, some commentators criticized the book’s premise.
One user wrote: ‘Maybe we should relabel white privilege as “upper middle class white” privilege. Since many of us who grew up poor did not have the “bonuses” that you enjoyed.’
Another commenter asked: ‘Will you donate all profits from this book to black causes?’
And one critic observed: ‘Inheritance money, parents paying for college, and loans from grandparents are not a bonus for white people.’ It is an advantage for the upper class.
They continued: “Go interview lower- and middle-class white people and ask them about their college, their inheritance, and their grandparents’ loans.”