Peggy Mcintosh Quotes

[Peggy Mcintosh] explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can't seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time until they are found out for who they are -- impostors with limited skills or abilities

In America, we like to think that the reason we have had success is that we worked hard or we were smart. Admitting that racism has played a part in our success means admitting that the American dream isn’t quite so accessible to all. A social justice educator named Peggy McIntosh has pointed out some of these advantages: having access to jobs and housing, for example. Walking into a random hair salon and finding someone who can cut your hair. Buying dolls, toys, and children’s books that feature people of your race. Getting a promotion without someone suspecting that it was due to your skin color. Asking to speak to someone in charge, and being directed to someone of your race.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Peggy McIntosh from the Wellesley Centers for Women, gave a talk called “Feeling Like a Fraud.”1 She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can’t seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time until they are found out for who they really are—impostors with limited skills or abilities.

I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.

Peggy McIntosh (1989) talks about the invisible knapsack as an analogy for White Privilege: White people have unearned assets and experiences that they cash in on a daily basis. White privilege does not mean that White people do not experience hardship or difficulty; it refers to the fact that any hardship experienced will not be due to their race.

If impostor syndrome were merely a matter of confidence or upbringing, says Wellesley Centers for Women senior researcher Dr. Peggy McIntosh, you would feel fraudulent in all aspects of your life. Instead, the places where women are most apt to feel incompetent and illegitimate are in the public spheres of power and authority

Dr. Peggy McIntosh from the Wellesley Centers for Women, gave a talk called “Feeling Like a Fraud.”1 She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments.

Peggy McIntosh, a professor at Wellesley College, shares some of those advantages: - If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area that I can afford in which I would want to move. - I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me. - Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability. - I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race. - I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group. - If a traffic cop pulls me over, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.